PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Urban Exposure: The American City Seen on View at the Figge Beginning Saturday

Davenport, Iowa (June 21, 2022) — Drawn from the Figge’s collection, Urban Exposure, showcases a compelling array of twentieth and twenty-first century artwork exploring the human condition within the urban American scene. Through these diverse views of city life, this exhibition asks us to recognize the experiences we share and what it means to live and work in America.

Featuring generations of artists engaging with the urban scene in assemblage, print, paint, and photography, these works provide snapshots of life in America’s cities throughout the last century. They emphasize the connections shared by city dwellers across state lines and population size, showing the commonalities between smaller communities, like the Quad Cities, and iconic metropolises like New York and San Francisco.

Within the exhibition, images of city life will be displayed in four thematic sections: The City Around Us, Community, The Built Environment and Urban Isolation/Solitude. Visitors will have the chance to explore works by artists such as Ilse Bing, TJ Dedeaux-Norris, Edward Hopper, Martin Lewis, Samuel Margolies, Paul D’Amato, Doris Lee, David Plowden, and William Hawkins, are featured. Each work reveals a unique part of the American experience.

“Depictions of life in urban areas of America take centerstage in this exhibition,” said Director of Collections and Exhibitions Andrew Wallace. “From the daily interactions among the people, to the skyscrapers to the changes in the physical environment, all facets of the city life are represented.” 

The exhibition will also feature excerpts of films from the Quad Cities’ Urban Exposure Independent Film Project, showing young filmmakers inspired and influenced by the city around us. These videos, and the other works on display depict scenes of work and play, good times, and bad, as well as the everyday moments of urban life that provide insight into what unites all of us. 

Urban Exposure is sponsored by Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc., Diversity & Communications Committee and will be on view in the second-floor Katz Gallery through September 18, 2022.

 

About the Figge Art Museum:
The Figge Art Museum is dedicated to bringing art and people together. Located on the Mississippi River in downtown Davenport at 225 West Second Street, the Figge is the premier art exhibition and education facility between Chicago and Des Moines. Its landmark glass building, designed by British architect David Chipperfield, is home to one of the Midwest’s finest art collections and presents world-class exhibitions, art classes, lectures, and special events that attract visitors of all ages. Museum hours are 10 a.m.­­-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Thursdays; and 12-5 p.m. on Sundays. Reservations are not required, but can be made at www.figgeartmuseum.org or by calling 563-345-6632. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students with ID and $4 children ages 4-12. Admission is free to Figge members and institutional members and to all on Thursday evenings. You can become a member for as little as $50 by visiting the Figge website. To contact the museum, please call 563.326.7804, or visit www.figgeartmuseum.org. 

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