Renowned photographer David Plowden was born in Massachusetts in 1932. He is best known for his historical documentary photography of industrial scenes, steam trains, Midwest farmlands, and small towns. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1968. He resides in Chicago and has traveled the state of Iowa for decades photographing the landscapes, towns, and people that crossed his path.
Past Exhibitions
David Plowden’s Iowa
December 9, 2011 - March 25, 2012
Organized in partnership with Humanities Iowa and the Figge Art Museum, Davenport. Made possible thanks to the generous support of the Edward Ulve Memorial Fund at Dubuque Museum of Art and the Ulve Family.
Urban Landscapes by Mary Phelan
December 9, 2011 - March 25, 2012
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art. Sponsored by Cottingham & Butler.
Urban Landscapes by Mary Phelan
Quiet and contemplative scenes of Chicago neighborhoods bring to mind 17th century Dutch cityscapes. The artist is inspired by feng shui in her compositions which together with soft lighting and an even color palette take these everyday scenes to a higher level. Mary Phelan was born in 1953 in Laurium, Michigan (Upper Peninsula). She grew up in the Chicago industrial suburb of Franklin Park. The 13 paintings in this exhibition celebrated the poetry of the ordinary in the city environment.
Image: Mary Phelan, On the Face of It, 2009, oil on linen, 18×30 in., collection of the artist.
Fire Department by Brent Houzenga
November 15, 2011 - April 1, 2012
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art
Fire Department by Brent Houzenga
Iowa artist, Brent Houzenga presented an installation of his painted window panes where his punk rock style combines with antique portraiture created a unique and energetic atmosphere on the museum’s amuse bouche balcony gallery. Fire Department serves as a celebration of the artist’s work over the last five years and his first museum exhibition.
Image: Brent Houzenga, Fire Department, 2011, mixed media, 54×52 in., collection of the artist.
Jiawei Gong: Celestial Writings
July 19, 2011 - November 27, 2011
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art. Sponsored by Cottingham & Butler.
Jiawei Gong: Celestial Writings
A solo exhibition of 11 digital photographs from a new body of work by Jiawei Gong was on view in the Dubuque Museum of Art’s McNamer Gallery. Gong taught at Loras College in 2007 and is currently in charge of the Digital Media program in the Fine Arts Department at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. He uses digital media and interactive web art in practicing his creative ideas. These images were originally captured photographically while visiting Qi Gong Grandmaster Letian in California, in 2009. Jiawei asked him to perform his energy-infused writing gestures while holding a light. The movements were recorded using an extremely slow shutter speed. The editing process includes restructuring, recompositing, and retouching the captured graphics and then adding background visual elements to create a narrative or an abstraction based on the context of each piece.
Image: Jiawei Gong, Celestical Writings #10: YYPH, 2009-11, digital photograph, collection of the artist.
A New Generation: Images of Children from The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis
July 19, 2011 - November 27, 2011
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art. Sponsored by the City of Dubuque’s Art & Cultural Affairs Special Projects Grant Program
A New Generation: Images of Children from The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis
As one of the few repositories in the world of a complete collection of The North American Indian by American photographer and adventurer Edward S. Curtis, Dubuque Museum of Art was proud to once again present a themed selection of images from this extensive and stunning collection. This installment featured images of Native American children, some of Curtis’s most endearing images. It was an image of a child that gave momentum to The North American Indian project, when Curtis was one of the winners in the “Prettiest Children in America” contest sponsored by Ladies Home Journal in 1904. This spurred his relationship with President Theodore Roosevelt who became one of the project’s most famous supporters. In order to share these appealing images of children with as many visitors as possible, DUMA partnered with local artist Scott Hendron to present a breakthrough tactile exhibition. The real highlight was four images brought to life in 3D by Hendron using ground-breaking printing technology. Visitors were welcome to touch the four prints and object labels were supplemented with Braille text thanks to Horizons for the Blind.
Image: Edward S. Curtis, A Makah Maiden, plate #385, 1915, photogravure on Dutch Van Gelder paper, 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, 2009.385
9/11 Quilts by Susan Hoppenworth
July 19, 2011 - November 6, 2011
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art
9/11 Quilts by Susan Hoppenworth
About 6 weeks after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Balltown, Iowa resident Susan Hoppenworth began volunteer work in New York City as a mental health counselor. She documented her experience assisting the people of New York through a daily journal, excerpts of which accompany her handmade quilts.
Quilts have a history of being used to commemorate life milestones as well as times of suffering or tragedy. Hoppenworth’s quilts provide a source of comfort for those dealing with the difficult memories from that time. Five of the six quilts were created between September and December 2001 and the sixth quilt was completed this year in honor of the tenth anniversary of the attacks.
Hoppenworth was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. She received a Bachelor of Science in Textiles and a Master of Arts in Counseling from University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She worked for over 30 years as a mental health practitioner in Iowa and has used art in her work as an outlet for herself and her clients.
Image: Susan Hoppenworth, Deliver Us From Evil, 2001, cotton fabric and crystal beading, collection of the artist.
European Landscapes by Nancy Lindsay
April 5, 2011 - July 10, 2011
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art
European Landscapes by Nancy Lindsay
The amuse bouche balcony gallery was home to Nancy Lindsay’s visual journal of the her travels across Europe in 2003 from Paris to Istanbul. Lindsay challenged herself to painting a work a day during the 32 day journey. Twenty-nine of those paintings were on view thru July 10th.
Image: Nancy Lindsay, Paris Along the Seine, 2003, oil on canvas, 8×10 in., collection of the artist.
In Search of Motion: John Cavanaugh, Sculptor (1921-1985)
March 29, 2011 - July 3, 2011
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art. Sponsored by Cottingham & Butler.
In Search of Motion: John Cavanaugh, Sculptor (1921-1985)
A master of hammered lead sculpture, this Ohio artist, who had a brief stint as a student at the University of Iowa, produced almost 500 lead sculptures before succumbing to the toxicity and physical demands of his chosen medium. 42 stunning sculptures, mostly in lead but also some bronze castings, fill the Falb Gallery until July 3rd. Elegant ballerinas, beautful portraits, and playful children were some of Cavanaugh’s most beloved subjects. Don’t miss this extraordinary collection.
Image: John Cavanaugh, Fracci, 1979, lead, 22 in. high, collection of The John Cavanaugh Foundation
Figure Drawings by Edwin Casuga and Randy Simmons
March 29, 2011 - July 1, 2011
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art. Sponsored by Cottingham & Butler.
Figure Drawings by Edwin Casuga and Randy Simmons
Compelling figure drawings in charcoal from Oregon artist Edwin Casuga and Kentucky artist Randy Simmons were featured this spring. Casuga, who was born and raised in the Phillipines, studied at The Florence Academy of Art. Simmons received his MFA from University of Cincinnati and is currently an Associate Professor of Art at West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
Image left: Edwin Casuga, Safety Net, 2003, charcoal, 32×40 in., collection of Carol and Roger Wilkerson; right: Randy Simmons, LMAO, 2009, charcoal, 48×36 in, collection of the artist.
Mother and Child from Edward S. Curtis’s The North American Indian
March 29, 2011 - March 29, 2011
Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art