Chargrilled spicy-citrus alligator ribs, squealer pies, Cajun fish tacos, shrimp gumbo arancini, beignets with salted mocha Chantilly cream, fried oysters with brie and jalapeno-braised pork belly on cheddar grits are just a few of the dishes you can sample at this year’s Rajun Cajun Food Fest at the Figge Art Museum on Fat Tuesday, February 9!

This juried guild exhibition was open to artists within a 150-mile radius of the Quad Cities and each artist was encouraged to enter up to two original works of art that must have been created in the last five years. A total of 44 artists were selected by juror Julie Rodrigues Widholm, the director of DePaul Art Museum in Chicago. The selected works will be on view in the fourth floor gallery through May 15, 2016.

Donated in 1929 by Dr. Clarence T. Lindley, the cameo and intaglio gems reflect the changing ideas and prominent beliefs of society and became a popular fashion accessory in the Victorian Era.

Opening Saturday in the third floor gallery, the Mississippi River Views exhibition includes a collection of 60 paintings, drawings, maps and other river-related works from the collection of the Muscatine Art Center, whose Musser Mansion is undergoing mechanical upgrades.

Kick off the New Year with free admission all day and a variety of free planned activities from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Make chalk drawings, create-your-own multi-media collage and frame, have a photo taken with props, visit with the Native American Coalition of the Quad Cities at 10:30 a.m. and view objects from the Big Picture Outreach Collection.

Celebrate the start of the holiday season with an assortment of holiday-themed crafts in the lobby as well as complimentary cookies and cocoa. Stroll through the galleries to experience the current exhibitions on view, or stop in the museum store to do some holiday shopping.

The exhibition, sponsored by the Hunt and Diane Harris Family Foundation, will include 42 Josephson photographs from the Figge’s permanent collection, the Stephen Daiter Gallery in Chicago, Illinois and one from Terry Etherton Gallery in Tucson, Arizona.

Red Star creates multimedia works that explore Native American identity and the distance between romantic images of the Native American—such as those by Edward S. Curtis—and the world of Indians today.

The Association of Art Museum Directors, representing 244 art museum directors in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, aids its members in establishing and maintaining the highest professional standards for themselves and the museums they represent. It serves as a forum for the exchange of information and the exploration of ideas, and as a voice with which museum directors may express their joint perspectives and those of their institutions.

Building a Masterpiece, Celebrating 90 Years. The Figge Art Museum will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its opening and the 90th anniversary of the opening of its predecessor, the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery, on August 6, 2015. Anniversary events begin on Saturday, June 20 with the kickoff of free museum admission for all visitors. Thanks to the generous support of the Riverboat Development Authority everyone will have access to the museum free of charge until September 20, 2015.

During the period in which these works were created the United States and New York City in particular became the world center of innovation in the visual arts. Many artists in the exhibition emigrated from Europe, while others were Americans who made frequent trips to travel and study in Paris and other European capitals, absorbing the influences of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and other modernists.

In conjunction with the Figge turning 10 this summer the museum is reflecting on the past 10 years through this interactive exhibition. On display will be artwork created and submitted by area children ages K-12 and families that communicates what the Figge means to them.

Over 100 artists from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, California and Arizona will take over the plaza and surrounding streets with a variety of handmade creations. From paintings, clay, wood and glass to jewelry, photography, fiber and sculptures, a wide variety of one-of-a-kind items will be available for purchase.

Students in kindergarten through grade 12 are invited to create an artwork that displays their love of the Figge and what the museum means to them. The winning works will be featured in the i ♥ Figge exhibition on view June 6-Septmeber 13, 2015. Submissions not selected to be hung in the exhibition will still be shown digitally in a slide show accompanying the exhibition.