This Week: Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival

Live Snow Sculpting

The 6 teams of competitive snow sculptors have arrived and sculpting has begun in Washington Park. Sculptors will have from now through noon on Saturday, February 8 to transform their 6' square by 8' tall blocks of packed snow into masterful works of art. Observers are welcome to stop by throughout the week to view the progress and learn from the artists as they work. The snow sculptures are located on the Bluff Street side of Washington Park (700 Locust Street) in downtown Dubuque.

Teams taking part this year include the Slacktastic 4 of Rockford, Illinois; Perfect Strangers of Dubuque, Iowa; and the Driftless Snow Sculptors of Dubuque, Iowa, along with 3 student teams representing Clarke University and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Snow Fun for Everyone

The Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival culminates with a free community event on Saturday, February 8, 2020 from noon to 4 p.m. Blocks of snow for all ages to carve will be available (tools provided), you can can vote for your favorite sculpture to win the People's Choice Award, and you'll have a chance to view the completed competition sculptures up close. You also receive free admission to the Dubuque Museum of Art on Saturday with hands-on activities for youth in the Glab Family Art Studio. Hot beverages and food will be available for purchase onsite courtesy of Frosted N' Filled and Happi Hibachi.

The Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival is presented through a partnership between the City of Dubuque Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Dubuque Museum of Art with support from KWWL, Sundown Mountain Resort, Jamar Pattern, Truck Country, Hyvee, Happy Joe's Pizza, Cindy's Classic Catering, and Travel Dubuque. The event is sanctioned by Winter Fun, Inc.

Updates: Art on the River

Grant Award from Travel Iowa Received

The Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs has been awarded a $5,000 grant through the Iowa Tourism Grant Program of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Grant funding will support a boosted marketing campaign for the upcoming 15th anniversary of Art on the River.

A call for artists to participate in the 15th anniversary exhibition will be released in late February 2020. Save the date now for the grand opening, scheduled for Friday, August 7, 2020 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., on the patio of the Grand River Center at the Port of Dubuque.
 

Sales Sheet for Current Exhibition Now Available

Did you know you can have an Art on the River sculpture to call your own? Large scale sculpture is a dynamic way to draw attention to your business’ front doors while enhancing your employees experience of arriving to work each day. Art on the River sculptures have been reviewed through a competitive juried process for artistic merit, structural integrity, and are suitable for long-term outdoor or indoor display. City of Dubuque staff is available to advise on siting sculpture placement at your home or business. 

A sales sheet is now available featuring the current exhibition's sculptures, on display along the Mississippi Riverwalk through June 2020. A portion of any sale proceeds are retained by the City of Dubuque to support upcoming Art on the River exhibitions and related outreach or education programs.