On August 25, a quartet of art in a wide variety of mediums will brighten the streets and venues of the 2018 Alternating Currents festival, with the scheduled events in downtown Davenport including an arts & crafts marketplace, a chalk-art festival, art workshops, and an exhibition by area artist Glenn Boyles.

For the first exhibition in the college's 2018-19 academic year, the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art will showcase works by artists who honed their skills at Augustana itself, with Five Alumni: Continuing to Create, from August 24 through October 27, presenting beautiful, fascinating, and resonant works by a quintet of the school's most gifted graduates.

I do understand why museums intimidate us: We feel as if we won’t “get” what is meant to be gotten. But well-curated museums provide a broader experience than we often allow ourselves to have. What if we allowed our own interpretation to be the main goal? When there's nothing to “get” other than our own perspective, a museum visit can uncover a simple contentment, peace of mind, and happiness.

On display from August 4 through September 17, a very special summertime exhibition will showcase the collaborative efforts of the Figge Art Museum, the nationwide program Students Rebuild, and Davenport Community Schools' Creative Arts Academy in Students Rebuild: Facing Difference, a beautiful and moving collection of student self-portraits from around the globe and here in the Quad Cities.