In May 1912, two men spent a few weeks photographing Dubuque citizens, businesses, and buildings. Their intention was to make a profit by selling the photos to those people and businesses they captured on film. When they left town, they left behind roughly 440 glass plate negatives which were purchased at the time by local businessman Peter Klauer, then President of Klauer Manufacturing. These photographs sat in storage for many decades but were eventually re-discovered in the 1980’s and given by the Klauer family to the Center for Dubuque History at Loras College. The negatives are now known as The Klauer Collection and have become one of the most significant historical records of early 20th century Dubuque.

Using The Klauer Collection for the basis of this project, local artist and photographer Tim Olson has endeavored to capture some of the same views in early 21st century Dubuque. Using a similar, but modern, version of equipment that was used in 1912, Mr. Olson has captured many of the same views, businesses, buildings, and industries. The resulting exhibition, A City at Work: 1912 and 2012, showcases both the historic and contemporary photographs. The juxtaposition of both the old and new images tell a story of remarkable change – reflecting dynamic transformations in economics, technology, diversity, and human progress.

Dubuque artist, Cynthia Nelms-Byrne presented her newest collection of paintings in the Dubuque Museum of Art’s Kris Mozena McNamer Gallery through March 17, 2013. Nelms-Byrne drew inspiration from five of her favorite poets. Her main inspiration was singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen but also Billy Collins, Sara Teasdale, Kay Ryan, and Rebecca Christian. Using their lyrics and poems she created eight pairs of paintings, sixteen altogether – one realistic and one abstract, harmoniously coordinated through color and composition.

Nelms-Byrne was born in Denver, Colorado, and has also lived in Oregon, California, and Spain. For most of her life, she worked in the mortgage banking industry, but in 1989 she returned to school in California to further her education in graphic design and fine art. She has lived in Dubuque since 1995 with her husband Robert.

Image: Cynthia Nelms-Byrne, Dance Me, 2012, oil on board, 17×13 in., collection of the artist, based on a photo by Phil Echo.

Dubuque Museum of Art was proud to be the first venue on the Iowa Watercolor Society’s 2012 Traveling Exhibition tour. The Iowa Watercolor Society (IWS) is an organization committed to supporting and encouraging the advancement of the watercolor medium and showcasing the artistic talents of Iowans.

The society holds an annual meeting in September that includes a juried art show open to all IWS members. The show is selective and the IWS provides over $2,500 in cash and prizes for each show. The traveling exhibition includes thirty paintings selected from the juried show. The 2012 judge was Paul Jackson, well-known artist, author, journal contributor, and international presenter. Ten of the paintings were selected by Jackson for various awards.

In an attempt to support local artists and bring quality art to all areas of the state, the IWS offers this exhibition free of charge to interested venues. This year’s exhibition begins at the Dubuque Museum of Art, then on to Maquoketa Art Experience, Hearst Center for the Arts in Cedar Falls, Clear Lake Art Center, and Greater Iowa Credit Union in Ames.

Image: Linda Fries, Amen, 2012, Watercolor, 33×30 in., collection of the artist

This charming children’s book by artist Arthur Geisert explores the ABC’s of farm life around Geisert’s hometown of Bernard, Iowa using his neighbors and their farms and businesses as his models. Fourteen of the etchings, from letters B to O, were on view.

Image: Arthur Geisert, Country Road ABC “M,” pp. 28-29, 2008, hand-colored etching, 18×24 in. The Arthur Geisert Collection, gift of Arthur Geisert, made possible by Jack and Mantea Schmid, 2010.21.

Two paintings by the American landscape artist Thomas Moran (1837-1926) that have been in a private collection and out of public view for over 70 years were on exhibit in the Dubuque Museum of Art’s Randall Lengeling Gallery. The paintings were Grand Canyon of Arizona at Sunrise, 1910 and The Venetian Lagoon, 1898.

Thomas Moran, who would have been 175 years old in 2012, was one of America’s greatest landscape painters as well as one of the most prolific illustrators of the 19th century and Dubuque Museum of Art was thrilled to be able to present these masterworks to the public, for a limited time. Executive Director, Mark Wahlert stressed the significance of the unprecedented loan to the Museum and its significance to Museum visitors, “DUMA is honored to present these extraordinary works to the public for the first time in over 70 years. Moran’s works are widely recognized as some of the finest examples of landscape painting in the world, and the generous loan of these works provides another opportunity for the Museum to present a truly world-class art experience to our community.”

Moran is known as the father of the national park system because his images of Yellowstone helped establish it as the first national park in 1872. Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon became synonymous with Moran and he even incorporated his nickname, Thomas “Yellowstone” Moran, into his signature. In addition, Moran was a great admirer of J.M.W. Turner and like Turner his images of Venice became some of his most prized works. Thomas Moran lived to the age of 89. He died at his home in Santa Barbara, California in 1926.

Image: Thomas Moran (1837-1926), The Venetian Lagoon, 1898, oil on canvas, 20×30 in., private collection, L2011.1

Dots of paint transformed into a journey through wooded landscapes in this selection of 10 paintings by artist, Miles Bair. Layering oil, acrylic, and gold or silver leaf, Bair creates mosaic forests inspired by Japanese art.

Born in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1947, Bair studied art at Edinboro University and West Virginia University. He teaches painting and is the director of the Ames School of Art at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. Bair has exhibited widely throughout the United States and Japan. His work is represented by William Havu Gallery in Denver and Katie Gingrass Gallery in Milwaukee.

Image: Shenadoah, 2009, oil, acrylic, and metallic leaf on paper, 48×36 in., collection of the artist.

For a limited time, Dubuque Museum of Art presented an unexpected and unique collection of over 100 works of art by 8 folk and self-taught artists from Iowa. Most of these artists began creating art later in life, motivated by major life changes, challenges, or tragedies. As artist John J. Donahue explained, “having many injuries and battling cancer and chemo, I found out painting is good therapy.” Although six of the artists are no longer with us, the work of each artist in this exhibition stands as a testament to the humanity, creativity, and inspiration that can be found in our everyday lives.

The artists included: Jerry Erdahl who live in La Porte City and Judith Spencer who lives in Iowa City; John F. Kortson, Vinton; Blanche Dozark, Tipton; Arlene King, Iowa City; William Lowe, Grand River; and Margaret Smith, Dubuque. John J. Donahue, Zwingle completes the group.

Image: John Kortson, In the Style of Grandma Moses, acrylic on board, 11×11 in., collection of Gordon and Mary Ellyn Jensen

Fechin was born in 1881 in the Tatar city of Kazan, Russia, located east of Moscow in west central Russian on the Volga River. At the age of 13, he attended the Kazan School of Art followed by the highly competitive St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts, where he was taught by the great Russian history and portrait painter, Ilya Repin. Fechin excelled in drawing and portrait painting. He experimented using the palette knife to apply thick layers of paint to the canvas while his faces maintained a stricter, realistic technical style.

Fechin and his family survived the Bolshevik Revolution and the emergence of the Soviet Republic. They arrived in New York City in August 1923 where he quickly obtained a number of important portrait commissions such as Willa Cather and Lillian Gish. He also taught at the New York Academy and exhibited at the National Academy of Design.

In 1926, they moved to Taos, New Mexico where a small community of artists was beginning to form, soon to become one of the major artistic communities in the United States. Fechin transformed their Taos home into an architectural masterpiece – today it is the Taos Art Museum.
Fechin died in 1955 in Santa Monica, California. He continued to paint and teach until his death. He always valued academic traditions in teaching art, most importantly studying and drawing the human form, but encouraged his students to be original and true.

Image: Nicolai Fechin (American born in Russia, 1881-1955), Portrait of an Indian Boy, n.d., oil on canvas, 16×13 in., on long-term loan from the collection of an anonymous donor, L2011.3.

The beautiful terrains of The North American Indian were presented all summer long at Dubuque Museum of Art in this exhibition of photogravures by Edward S. Curtis. Curtis spent over 30 years photographing members of over 80 North American Indian tribes west of the Mississippi. In the process, he also captured some of the most breathtaking landscapes ever photographed, however Curtis was not a landscape photographer. He was an accomplished portrait photographer. For Curtis’ landscapes we have to look beyond the figures, animals, and dwellings and focus on the beautiful backdrops that steal the scene.

Image: Edward Sheriff Curtis (America, 1868-1952), Cañon de Chelly – Navaho, plate 28, 1904,photogravure on Dutch Van Gelder paper, 11×15 in., gift of Dubuque Cultural Preservation Committee, an Iowa general partnership, consisting of Dr. Darryl K. Mozena, Jeffrey P. Mozena, Mark Falb, Timothy J. Conlon, and Dr. Randy Lengeling, 2009.28

In this selection of paintings, Alda emphasized the river and its influence on everything surrounding it – from recreation and commerce to the geography of Dubuque’s bluffs and the layout of the city. Alda’s unique perspective gives these familiar scenes a fresh look.

Image: Alda Kaufman, Main Street, 2011, watercolor and watercolor pencil on paper, 20×24 in., collection of the artist

Once again, DUMA was proud to present the Dubuque Citywide All-School Student Art Exhibition. Nearly 250 student artists from Dubuque’s public and parochial schools showcased their talents and their work throughout the Museum’s galleries during the exhibition. Participating students ranged in age from kindergarten to 12th grade, and each student was selected by the art teacher from their school.

This exhibition is an important way for the Museum to support our local, young artists as well as our art educators. “The Museum is all about supporting local art and artists. In all that we do, we strive to create an atmosphere throughout the community that welcomes creativity and self-expression. This exhibition is a great way to recognize all of the talent and hard work that happens in our school art programs each and every day,” said Museum Director Mark Wahlert. Additionally, the art teachers and some of the students helped install the exhibition. We are grateful to our sponsors, to the numerous school administrators and educators, to the parents and, of course, to our student artists for working together on this tremendous exhibition opportunity.

Image: Tylor Tittle, 11th grade, Untitled, acrylic on canvas