We explored the delicate world of fiber art in this survey of Teresa Paschke’s mixed media textile artwork. Paschke moved to Iowa in 2000 to teach art at Iowa State University. This exhibition explored the fiber art she has created in the decade since she has been in Iowa.

Image: Teresa Paschke, Graf_chain, 2008, 32×60 in., collection of the artist

The Dubuque Museum of Art 2010 Biennial Juried Exhibition was open to all artists within 200 miles of Dubuque, Iowa. This year’s juror was Mr. Frank Paluch, Director of the Perimeter Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. 53 works by 49 artists were selected for the exhibition out of the 223 entries received from 100 artists. We were thrilled to once again bring this very popular exhibition to the tri-states to show the wide variety of quality artwork that is available in our region.

Biennial Juried Exhibition

The 2010 Biennial exhibition artists:
Wendy S. Rolfe, Peosta, IA – 1st Place award
Harold Martin, Galena, IL – 2nd Place award
Nikki Renee Anderson, Chicago, IL – 3rd Place award
Jeff Allen, Solon, IA; Emily Christenson, Moline, IL
Barbara L. Collins, Dubuque, IA; Kayla Damisch, Dubuque, IA
Bryan Davis, Cedar Rapids, IA; Nancy Delman, Evanston, IL
Phil Dorothy, Iowa City, IA; Catherine Dreiss, Des Moines, IA
Ken Dubin, Fairfield, IA; Bill Farrell, Galena, IL
Brad Fautsch, Dubuque, IA; Delores Fortuna, Galena, IL
Greg Fuqua, Ames, IA; Stephen Gassman, Platteville, WI
Dean A. Genth, Mason City, IA; Carl H. Johnson, Jr., Galena, IL
Fred Jones, Macomb, IL; Will Kelly, Dubuque, IA
Keith Lemley, Iowa City, IA; Pauline Maloney, Dubuque, IA
Carol Mantey, Galena, IL; Dennis J. Markley, Sleepy Hollow, IL
Brian McCormick, Madison, WI; Taryn McMahon, Iowa City, IA
Jane Melgaard, Dubuque, IA; Jamie N. Morey, Dubuque, IA
David Murray, Geneseo, IL; Cynthia Nelms-Byrne, Dubuque, IA
Heather O’Neil, Dubuque, IA; Sandra Perlow, Chicago, IL
Corinne D. Peterson, Chicago, IL; Robert D. Peterson, Cedar Rapids, IA
Jessie Rebik, Dubuque, IA; Elizabeth Rhoads Read, Cedar Rapids, IA
Bob Rivoire, Galena, IL; Elizabeth Shriver, Coralville, IA
Ivonne Simonds, Dubuque, IA; Evan Stickfort, Holy Cross, IA
Ron Testa, Wilmette, IL; Joan DuBay Tully, Dubuque, IA
Deborah Vanko, Windsor Heights, IA; Brad Walker, Savanna, IL
Kathy Weaver, Highland Park, IL; Joan Webster-Vore, Hudson, IA
Marcia Wegman, Iowa City, IA; Daniel Weiss, Des Moines, IA

Image: Jane Melgaard, Leap Day

At 25 feet high and 14×14 feet at its base and weighing in at 30,000 pounds, there was no Midwestern reserve to be found in this celebrated and much parodied Iowa couple inspired by Grant Wood’s American Gothic and towering over the museum for almost 3 years. Seward Johnson took the famous duo from one of the most iconic paintings in art history and literally amplified them to gigantic proportions. No shrinking violets, this pair! They dominated the museum landscape inspiring viewers to recollect a gentler, less complicated (albeit idealized) past and pose for a fun photo op!

Johnson is well-known for his realistic sculptures found in many outdoor venues across the country and his Beyond the Frame series where he brilliantly re-creates Impressionist paintings into 3D sculptural scenes where you can actually walk among the figures and objects in the paintings. The sculpture has travelled throughout the United States but this was its first time in Iowa, the home state of Grant Wood.

Photo: “God Bless America” by Seward Johnson at Dubuque Museum of Art. See more images on our Facebook page.

Two large-scale architectural drawings of Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Thatbinyinyu in Burma filled the McNamer Gallery this fall. Mary Griep, originally from Dubuque, is a professor of art at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota who has traveled the world creating highly detailed, large-scale drawings of Medieval temples. The Angkor Wat drawing (seen here) is almost too large to be taken in all at once, mimicking the experience of visiting this sacred architectural wonder.

Image: Mary Griep, Anastylosis – Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2002-03, mixed media, 8×30 ft., collection of the artist

Joseph Walter (1865-1946) was an Austrian artist, trained at the Munich and Vienna Academies, who came to the United States in 1897 and made his life as a church painter in Dubuque, Iowa. He was also one of the first professional artists to live in Dubuque.
In preparation for this retrospective, a series of smaller exhibitions were held each year since 2007. This retrospective was the first major exhibition of this master painter and includes 57 works of art from 18 area collections.

Image: Joseph Walter, Self Portrait, 1928, oil on board, 24×20 in., collection of Dubuque County Historical Society

In collaboration with writer Bonnie Geisert, the artist’s famous pigs solve a turkey topiary mystery. A sampling of seven of Arthur’s whimsical hand-colored etchings from this children’s book brightened the amuse bouche gallery wall.

Image: Arthur Geisert, Nursery Crimes poster, 2001, 01.11.32

From Geisert’s town series of books which also includes Desert Town, Prairie Town, and Mountain Town, River Town depicts a year in the life of residents who live in a small farm community situated next to a major river. As the season’s change so does life along the river.

Image: Arthur Geisert, River Town, p. 9

Gassman and Carter each independently documented with a skillful artistic eye the life of two well-known industries in Dubuque, the Dubuque Pack and the Star Brewery after they closed down and workers and managers had long gone. 16 black & white and color photographs were on view. Stephen Gassman is a professional photographer in Platteville, Wisconsin. He is originally from Dubuque and attended Senior High School. Carol Jean Carter is a native of Burlington, Iowa now living and working as a professional photographer in Des Moines, Iowa.

Image: Stephen Gassman, Fleur di lis, 2001;

Nancy Purington, an Iowa City-based artist, grew up in Iowa along the banks of the Mississippi River and has always lived in close proximity to bodies of water. Water has been the primary subject matter of her work for over 30 years. This exhibition included works in a variety of media – from miniature prints and collages to large-scale paintings. Many of the works incorporate metals like gold, silver, and palladium, making reference to the reflective qualities of water. This traveling exhibition was organized by Waterloo Center for the Arts and Muscatine Art Center. A catalog is available for sale.

Image: Nancy Purington, Leaf/Wave from Twelve Views of Water, Mississippi River at Lake Davenport, 2002

Examples of high school students’ work from both public and parochial schools in Dubuque were showcased in the Falb and McNamer Galleries. The Dubuque Museum of Art presents student exhibitions every other year, alternating between art students in high school and students in all grades (K–12). Students assist with the exhibition installation. This exhibition was dedicated to the memory of our friend, Deidre Westpfahl, an art student from Hempstead High School who had been attending the Minneapolis Institute of Art & Design when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2007.

Halliburton was born in Dubuque in 1898. She trained as an artist at the Corcoran Art School in Washington, D.C. She was a highly skilled painter and specialized in watercolor. She took lessons from famous watercolorist Eliot O’Hara. She especially admired the work of the famous impressionist watercolorist, Millard Sheets. Paintings from her travels to Washington D.C., Florida, and California as well as a Dubuque scene are presented.

Image: Louise Herron Halliburton (America, 1898-1991), An Ancient Occupation, n.d., watercolor, gift of Bob Woodward, 03.12.007