About Us

Mission and History of the Figge Art Museum

The Figge Art Museum actively serves the public by promoting appreciation and creation of visual art through education, and by collecting, conserving and exhibiting art. As a vital, responsive institution, the museum brings art and people together, expands the knowledge and love of art, and betters the life of the community through the power of art.

The Figge Art Museum draws upon the rich history of the Davenport Museum of Art while setting new standards for cultural, social and economic development.  The new facility will provide unparalleled social, cultural and educational spaces for the community.

The Davenport Municipal Art Gallery opened in 1925, through a gift of 350 European and Mexican Colonial paintings, creating the first municipal art gallery in the State of Iowa. Today, the collections have grown over ten-fold and include more than 3,500 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from the 16th century to the present. In 1963, the museum changed its name to the Davenport Museum of Art and moved to a new facility. The museum has now begun its next phase of growth: relocation to the heart of downtown Davenport in a new, 115,000 square foot facility overlooking the Mississippi designed by London architect David Chipperfield. The new museum will allow a substantial portion of the collections to be permanently on view for the first time in the museum’s history. Ample space has been designed for traveling and educational exhibitions. Leading the way for this project, a $13 million gift from the V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Foundation. In recognition of this generous contribution, the new arts facility was named the Figge Art Museum.

The new building and new name represent significant changes.  With the aid of hundreds of community members, the museum has itself become a community-centered institution that will serve the Quad Cities region. The museum has conducted a $46.9 million capital campaign. It has launched a Charter Membership campaign to increase the operating endowment, finalized a three-year strategic plan, and established a national marketing campaign. Attendance is on track to reach 80,000 annually. The goal is to become the leading community-centered regional art museum on the Mississippi.

A unique aspect of the Figge Art Museum is that over fifty percent of the building is dedicated to education.   We anticipate over 600 public programs annually reaching close to 30,000 children and adults.  The Education Department is continually working to develop educational resources for area school children, and the museum’s new, enhanced web site will be a valuable medium to make this information available in all homes and classrooms.

FIGGE ART MUSEUM MISSION

The Figge Art Museum, formerly the Davenport Museum of Art, actively serves the public by promoting appreciation and creation of visual art through education, and by collecting, conserving and exhibiting art. As a vital, responsive institution, the Museum brings art and people together, expands the knowledge and love of art and enriches the life of the community through the power of art.

 

VISION STATEMENT

The Figge Art Museum will be the leading regional art museum of eastern Iowa and western Illinois by:

engaging, educating, and delighting a broad and diverse public with outstanding art exhibitions, acquisitions, and education programs;

collaborating with local and national organizations to reflect the aesthetic needs and interests of the community and to attract community, cultural, and financial support;

focusing on the assets of the Figge, building on the strengths of the collections, continuing its professional dedication to scholarship;

promoting it as a community forum and tourist destination;

creating a welcoming and intellectually stimulating atmosphere conducive to aesthetic enjoyment, contemplation, learning, and inspiration.

VISION STATEMENT

 

We place the people we serve and the art we care for and present at the center of the museum’s endeavors.

We set high standards for ourselves, emphasizing excellence, integrity, creativity, and attention to detail.

We serve people through thoughtful innovation and a respect for world-wide cultures.

We believe that an understanding of art and creativity enables people to make better decisions about their lives and to understand differences.

We take seriously our responsibility as stewards and advocates of the users, collections, exhibitions and the museum building and the ideals of applying creativity to making, understanding and viewing art.