Art Gallery

Quad City Arts presents Mississippi River Photography by Pete Mutschler; serigraph prints by Keosha Westphal, and sculptural paper pieces by Rebecca Quick.

From January 6, through March 2, 2026, Quad City Arts presents Mississippi River Photography by Pete Mutschler; serigraph prints by Keosha Westphal, and sculptural paper pieces by Rebecca Quick.

Pete Mutschler, of Winona, Minnesota, presents The River Connects Us, a collection of photographs and poems that show how our relationship with the Mississippi River connects us. Mutschler’s images explore the unique and sometimes hidden culture that flows from this Great River, from the headwaters in Northern Minnesota to the delta south of New Orleans. Poetry written by Tom Gillaspy of Stillwater, MN provides a sensitive and sometimes powerful reflection inspired by the images. While each photograph/poem pair provides a single snapshot in time of a small piece of the river experience, the viewer is connected through the shared experiences of everyone who lives near the river. The overall goal of this exhibit is to show how the Mississippi River experience is powerful, making us stronger than the divisions that are receiving so much attention these days.

Rebecca Quick, from Macomb, Illinois, is a multimedia artist. For this exhibit, Quick displays her sculptures created by joining paper origami into fluid sculptural pieces in bright colors. Quick states, “Precision is something that is necessary in my art as well as in my life. I am particular when it comes to everything, whether it’s setting out borders for ink to pool into or making sure the shirt I folded this morning is crisp.”

While this is Quick’s first feature exhibit with Quad City Arts, her involvement goes back to participation and awards in two Chalk Art festivals, the High School Art Invitational (2017) and as an apprentice in Quad City Arts’ Metro Arts program (2019 & 2020).

Keosha Westphal, Macomb, Illinois is a printmaker working primarily in screen printing. She draws inspiration from nostalgia, pop culture, and the vibrant, chaotic beauty of everyday life. Westphal describes this body of work as “sweet, loud, and unapologetically bright. It leans into the pleasures of girlhood—sparkle, color, emotion, silliness, friendship. It’s candy-coated and sometimes overwhelming, intentionally too much—because that’s how the world often feels to me: intense, saturated, and alive. These pieces are a celebration of better things.” Westphal has also worked as an apprentice in Quad City Arts’ Metro Arts program.

All three artists hope that viewers will take some time to look for joy in their work and enjoy a diversion from the tension happening around us. The underlying message is that if we look for beauty, we can find it, and if we take

Quad City Arts is a nonprofit local arts agency dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the Quad City region through the arts.  Support for art exhibitions is provided by the Illinois Arts Council and The Cultural Trust. Quad City Arts Gallery is located at 1715 Second Avenue in the Arts and Entertainment District of Rock Island.  Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, contact Dawn Wohlford-Metallo 309-793-1213 X108, or by email at [email protected].

In addition to the airport gallery, the artist’s works can be seen and purchased online: https://www.shopquadcityarts.com/airport-gallery.

Quad City Arts’ Art at the Airport Gallery

Art at the Airport in The Quad Cities International Airport is easy to find. It is across from the gift shop and restaurant and right before the security checkpoint. The gallery never closes, and you will pay just a dollar for the first hour of parking.

Quad City Arts is a nonprofit local arts agency dedicated to enriching the quality of life in the Quad City region through the arts. Support for art exhibitions is provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Quad City Arts Gallery is located at 1715 Second Avenue in the Arts and Entertainment District of Rock Island. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, contact Dawn Wohlford-Metallo 309-793-1213 X108, or by email.

www.quadcityarts.com