February 15th – June 1st, 2025
Explore some of the interesting items we’ve added to the collection in the last 6 years – from machines to hand crafted furniture, textiles, personal items from early Davenport homes, and even medical equipment. Learn about stories of early immigrants and Quad City residents through historic artifacts.
View this exhibition virtually here.
Stay tuned for a BIG reveal coming next week!
After 16 years on display and noticeable wear and tear to our permanent exhibition panels, we are installing new, dynamic, and exciting signage and artifacts to our timeline area on the 3rd floor. We can`t wait to see our hard work come to life in our permanent exhibition space.
The new information still explores the experiences of German immigrants to our area, but we are adding more artifacts, telling broader stories and experiences of residents in the Quad Cities during the high points in immigration history, and exploring what German immigrants arrived to in Iowa—some expected, and others not.
Thank you to Regional Development Authority for their support of this project. And thank you to our generous donors who helped us recover the lost funding after the federal budget cuts earlier this year: Cal and Jill Werner, Bob Thoreson, The Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, and an anonymous donor. We could not have done this project on our original timeline without the support of our community.
And thank you to Edwards Creative for working with us on this project. Your designs and imagination will bring this exciting project to life!
We`re excited to share that our virtual version of our "Recent Acquisitions" exhibition is now live! This exhibition explored some of the newest and most interesting items added to our collection from the last 6 years. It was on display in person until June 1st, but now it is available to view year-round online.
In addition to photographs and the didactics from the original exhibition, our summer intern, Enya, has translated the exhibition to German, provided voiceovers for the artifact labels, and conducted additional research and resources to enhance the exhibition. We hope these additions are useful and help make this content more accessible to a wider audience.
You can explore the virtual exhibition here: https://virmuze.com/m/gahc/x/whats-new-recent-acquisitions-to-the-collection/
Enya is a student in the @wiulovesmuseumstudies MA program (anticipated to graduate in December of 2025) and an intern at the German American Heritage Center and Museum. She is German-American, having been born in Bavaria, and regularly visits family there. As she was a military-brat, she has also lived in the Rhineland-Pfalz region of Germany, England, and multiple U.S. states. She loves helping others learn about German culture, as well as learning about different cultures from around the world.
Happy World Emoji day! What emojis best represent you? We think 🧳🌲📚🍄🍫 represent us pretty well.
Collectors & Artist Talk: Fever Dreams
Hear from art collectors David and Sarojini Johnson and artist Joseph Lappie about the Fever Dreams: German Expressionism exhibition featuring German prints at the @figgeartmuseum.
The German American Heritage Center and Museum will stay open until 5 pm for visitors to view German Expressionist Prints from the Johnson Collection at the GAHC+M before heading over to the Figge for an artist talk with the collectors.
Thursday July 24th | 6:00 pm
FREE and open to the public
5:00 p.m. | Bar Open (cards only)
6:00 p.m. | Collectors & Artist Talk
Figge Art Museum | 225 W 2nd St. | Davenport, Iowa
The term "mirror with a memory" coined by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. in 1859, refers to the early process of photography. The term`s poetic nature helps us reflect on how photographs captures a moment in time, a memory.
This is a circa 1900 photograph of the Lady Germania fountain that once stood at the gateway to Davenport, IA.
Take a moment to look at this image, what do you see? Who do you see? How does this photograph make you feel?
Sadly, the fountain was removed post-WWI in the wake of German-Immigrant discrimination. The date of the fountain`s removal is unclear. Today, a reconstructed statue by Jeff Adams honorably stands in its memory.
Unlock the world of 20th century creative visionaries at the German American Heritage Center and Museum:
Currently on display are 20th century, German Expressionist Prints from the David and Sarojini Johnson Collection. Come visit us now through December 14th to have the chance to see original works from artists like Max Beckmann and Käthe Kollwitz.
Admission is free for the entire month of July. Thank you to Cal and Jill Werner for making free admission possible.
We are open:
Tues-Sat 10am to 4pm
Sun 12pm-4pm
Closed on Mondays
Best of the Wurst was amazing! After a day of sampling and voting, this year`s winner was the Black Forest wurst from Jerry`s Market. 🌭🇩🇪
You can visit Jerry`s Market in Moline, IL to get more bratwurst and other delicious foods to take home. Visit their old-fashioned grocery store and butcher shop at
📍1609 17th St, Moline, Illinois.
Thanks to our premier sponsor, Zimmerman Honda for making this event possible. Thank you to WVIK, Quad Cities NPR and Hy-Vee for their in-kind sponsorships.
Also, a big thank you to @twinspanbrewing for collaborating with us and brewing a special hefeweizen, Hefenstein`s Monster, for our event! You can get this exclusive brew in cans at the museum gift shop. Prost! 🍻
Cans in progress for Best of the Wurst on Sunday! We will have Hefenstein’s Monster, a 5.1% abv Hefeweizen on tap Sunday during the event. Cans will be available in the gift shop to take home 🍻
16 oz, 4 pack is $14.
Museum members get a 10% discount and all purchases are tax free! ☀️
If you haven’t been to @twinspanbrewing, take a trip to the restaurant and brewery and try all of their yummy brews!
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