Local Artist Kristin Quinn Explores Nature and Memory
in New Figge Exhibition
Davenport, Iowa (September 23, 2025) – Now on view at the Figge Art Museum is Kristin Quinn: Luminous Flux Paintings From the Watershed, a new exhibition featuring recent works by local artist and St. Ambrose University professor Kristin Quinn. Please see the press release below and attached for further details.
Quinn’s work is inspired by her connection to the Mississippi River watershed and her travels across the Great Lakes, the Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin, and Minnesota’s North Shore. These landscapes of rivers, lakes, bogs, and marshes serve as the starting point for abstracted paintings that explore the constant changes and shifting atmosphere found in nature.
In this exhibition, Quinn asks, “How can you capture the feeling of a place, including its mood, texture, and atmosphere, through painting?” She explores this idea through layered colors and textures that reflect not only what she sees, but also what she remembers and feels.
“It's an honor to exhibit at the Figge,” said Quinn. “It feels like the work is coming home to our museum framed by the Mississippi. Much of the inspiration comes from exploring the watershed from the Quad Cities to the Canadian border. I've tried to capture a sense of flux in the paintings as if they were ebbing and flowing, falling and rising. Reminiscent of being within a single moment in a landscape with competing levels of attention, changing light, movement, and shifting weather. This Luminous Flux continues to excite me as a painter.”
Quinn has been an important part of the Quad Cities’ arts community for decades, both as an artist and as a professor of painting and drawing at St. Ambrose University. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally, yet it continues to reflect her deep ties to the Midwest landscape.
“Kristin’s paintings capture the nebulous, ethereal qualities of the natural world through a vibrant, saturated palette,” said Figge Co-Senior Curator Joshua Johnson. “They spark curiosity, evoking both a sense of familiarity and the mystery of the unknown. We’re thrilled to share her vision with our visitors, and to continue our goal of highlighting the work of outstanding regional artists.”
Kristin Quinn: Luminous Flux Paintings From the Watershed is supported by contributing sponsors The Current Iowa and Hotel Blackhawk. The exhibition will be on view in the Figge’s Gildehaus Gallery through December 28, 2025.
Companion Program:
Kristin Quinn: Artist Talk
Thursday, September 25, 6:00 p.m.
Join artist and St. Ambrose University Professor Kristin Quinn in the Figge’s Quad City Bank & Trust Grand Lobby where she will discuss her most recent collection of paintings in conversation with Figge Co-Senior Curator Joshua Johnson.
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, the Figge is the premier art exhibition and education facility between Chicago and Des Moines. Its landmark glass building houses a renowned collection, engaging exhibitions, and community-centered programs. Admission is free on Thursday nights.
