Review: A mile of lights turn the Figge into Iowa’s biggest public artwork — a sight to see from both sides of the Mississippi

On May 18, 2025, the city of Davenport, Iowa began to glow. Nestled amongst the downtown’s old buildings, the Figge Art Museum celebrated its 20th anniversary by unveiling Evanescent Field, an architectural art project by internationally acclaimed light artist Leo Villareal.

Hundreds of onlookers gathered in the promenade to the already stunning museum designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Sir David Chipperfield to see the culmination of a decade’s worth of planning and work as over a mile of colored LED’s lit up the glass curtain wall of the museum. 

Villareal’s art infuses the often cold and corny light of LEDs with customized software, bespoke and site specific, turning the lights into something that feels alive, glowing with a consciousness of its own. His work has lit up the bridges in London across the Thames, the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, as well as airports, educational centers, buildings, and museums across the world. Evanescent Field marks the second time Villareal has illuminated a building designed by Chipperfield, and now stands as the biggest visual art project in the state of Iowa. 

Inspired by nature, generative software and the complexity that emergent properties from the simple building blocks of code and lights can produce, Evanescent Field will never look the same, giving viewers a unique experience with every glance as the lights shift in color and intensity, responding to weather, traffic, and even the flow of the nearby Mississippi River, and will be visible from sunset to sunrise with only occasional blackouts in consideration for wildlife migration. It is a spectacle unlike anything I have ever seen, and was met with great fanfare.

The Figge’s “Glow Up” party was enacted in three parts: a VIP pre-party for museum contributors, board members, and community leaders; a free public party with access to the museum’s galleries, food trucks, live music and the breathtaking transformation at sunset as the building lit up; and finally, a VIP afterparty complete with a DJ and glowing cocktails inside the lobby. The turnout was incredible, hundreds moving through exhibits from the Figge’s permanent collection, the rotating John Deere collection, and exhibits from Cara and Diego Romero, Louise Kames and Marvin Cone. 

As the crowd gathered outside, museum director Melissa Mohr, Davenport mayor Mike Matson and Iowa Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer spoke before Leo Villareal received the keys to the city and counted down the light-up.

As beautiful as the project is, the hyperbole from Matson — calling the project the “eight wonder of the modern world” and repeating the Quad City Chamber of Commerce’s latest slogan declaring the Quad Cities to be the “creative capital of the Midwest” — carried the tone of a carnival barker. Cournoyer focused on the hopeful economic impact, sounding more like she was trying to justify the $4 million project to constituents than celebrate art for art’s sake, taking some sense of wonder and majesty out of the project. 

Regardless of this (and the glaringly obvious fact that a building designed by an Englishman, illuminated by an artist from New York City, and capped by a solo-musical performance from Texas’ Ben Kweller are not representative of the Quad Cities’ creativity), the Glow Up at The Figge was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event that is the culmination of a century of philanthropy and community effort.

The original City of Davenport Art Collection was donated in 1925 with the understanding that a gallery and arts program would continue in the city. Over the years, a small gallery was constructed and housed the collection until 2005 when the Figge Art Museum’s construction was completed. Chipperfield always intended that the museum be a space for community and for the building to be illuminated. For The Figge, these goals have been met, thoroughly, as the museum offers a large lobby/event space for weddings, community meetings, and events, as well as an auditorium for lectures and films and a robust series of studio and educational spaces to promote creativity and the arts for people of all ages and experience levels, giving opportunities to students who may not have them in often cut and neglected public school art programs. 

As a lifelong Quad Citizen, I am beyond thrilled to have such an impressive project and museum in my neighborhood, especially one that is committed to enhancing the lives of our community through the arts. Visually, Evanescent Field is impressive as hell. The night after the Glow Up party, I found myself in Rock Island’s Schweibert Park, located across the Mississippi, after a concert at Rozz-Tox. The Figge glowed and danced with various colors, stark and vivid in the cool night, once again capturing my wonder and amazement.

As local artist and comedian Mike Steele said at the Glow Up, “This is the coolest thing to happen to the Quad Cities.” I agree.