Award-winning children’s book illustrator, Arthur Geisert is also celebrated for his humorous cartoon etchings that have appeared in Art Calendar and The New Yorker magazines. This collection of six cartoons all have an art museum theme. The Dubuque Museum of Art is home to the complete collection of Arthur Geisert’s works thanks to the artist, Bonnie Geisert, and Mantea & Jack Schmid.

Image: Arthur Geisert (America, b. 1941), Biennial, 2/150, 2004, Copper plate etching on BKF Rives paper, 4 ⅞ x 6 ⅞ inches, The Arthur Geisert Collection. Gift of Arthur Geisert and Bonnie Geisert, made possible by Jack & Mantea Schmid. 04.06.054.

The exhibition Nude Vases, Cubist Faces: Modernism at Rookwood Pottery from the collection of Riley Humler and Annie Bauer will showcases select works from the Rookwood Pottery Company from 1929, the year that Jens Jacob Herring Krog Jensen joined Rookwood until 1948 when he and his wife Elizabeth Barrett, also a Rookwood decorator, left the company to become independent artists.

Rookwood opened in Cincinnati in 1880, became world re-knowned, reinvented itself in 1915, struggled through the Depression and only permanently closed its doors in 1967. The company, marketed as “an artist’s studio, not a factory,” was arguably the most celebrated ceramic producer in the country because of their experimental designs and exceptionally fine glazes. One of Rookwood’s more fascinating chapters will be presented in this exhibition of approx. 20 porcelain vessels, painted by the company’s best-known modern decorators. The artists featured in this exhibition include Jens Jensen, Elizabeth Barrett, Lorinda Epply, Sara Sax, and Harriet Wilcox. These artists took advantage of major advances in production and ceramic technology to create distinctive and masterful styles.

In conjunction with Nude Vases, Cubist Faces: Modernism at Rookwood Pottery a selection of paintings by the artist Jens Jensen will be on view from the Phyllis Weston Gallery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Whether working as a decorator of art pottery or as a painter, Jensen’s unique style not only influenced his colleagues but left a legacy clearly influenced by this European roots and modern sensibilities.

Image: Jens Jensen, Vase with Three Nudes (detail), 1931, decorated porcelain, 7 3/8 x 6 1/2 inches, From the collection of Riley Humler and Annie Bauer.

These three very different female portraits by or attributed to Grant Wood show the transition of Wood’s style, from copying the art trends of the early 20^th century to evolving into his own signature Regionalist style. They also address the importance and challenges of connoisseurship in art. This exhibition is made possible by the generosity of Edwin & Susan Ritts and Dr. Randall Lengeling.

Image: Installation view

Four African sculptures from a larger exhibition of the University of Iowa Museum of Art’s collection will be on view in the DUMA Alice E. & Erwin J. Hafeman Lobby for a limited time. In addition, visitors will have computer access to the complete online collection of African art from the UIMA’s collection as part of the exhibition.

Image: Akuaba (figure) 28.6x14x4.5 cm, The Stanley Collection, X1986.244. University of Iowa Museum of Art.

Unique opportunity to see a collection of the renowned lifelike sculptures by internationally acclaimed Milwaukee artist Marc Sijan on view in the Dubuque Museum of Art’s Kris Mozena McNamer Gallery through February 8, 2015.

Marc Sijan is one of the world’s most accomplished hyper-realist sculptors. His figures are both compelling and disconcerting and so true to life they appear on the verge of movement, often startling museum visitors who mistake them for real people. Three of Sijan’s life-size figures along with eight wall-mounted portraits will be on view during the exhibition. About this exhibition, Smithsonian curator Dorothy Moss writes:

Marc Sijan’s empathetic portrayals of the human condition are firmly rooted in the history of American Realism while pushing the genre of portraiture in innovative directions with their uncanny physical presence. To be “face to face” with one of Sijan’s sculptures is an unforgettable experience and this is due to the artist’s extraordinary mastery of his materials and his sensitivity to the aesthetic and poignant possibilities of figurative art and the genre of portraiture. Dorothy Moss, Curator of Painting and Sculpture, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Each of Sijan’s enigmatic figures is frozen in time and has a story they want to tell. They can’t speak but their faces are full of emotion – and they are exposed. Like all of us, they have their physical imperfections but theirs aren’t hidden. Every vein, wart, hair, bulge, and sag is visible to the viewer. The overweight man standing in loafers and a pair of shorts that are slightly too tight or the little old man in swim trunks standing on a chair peeking over at something in the distance – what are they doing and who do they represent?

The incredible technical skill of the artist is apparent from every angle – he is a master of his materials and hasn’t left out a single mesmerizing detail, including all of the strange and fascinating human details that would catch your attention if these were real people. Fortunately, in this case, it’s okay to satisfy your curiosity by staring at them as much as you like.

Sijan lives in Milwaukee and studied at the University of Wisconsin. His work has been collected and exhibited throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East. He was the 3D winner of the 2014 Art Prize competition and his sculptures have been included in the NYC Armory Show for several years. He has had over sixty solo museum exhibitions, many of which have broken attendance records worldwide including institutions such as the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Delaware Art Museum, The Butler Institute of American Art, the Cuadro Museum in Dubai, and many others.

Image: Marc Sijan, Brief Peek, resin and oil paint, 66x21x21 inches, collection of the artist.

On view in the Alice E. & Erwin J. Hafeman Lobby will be eight magic props by Dubuque’s own, Craig Steven Beytien, who designs and builds fantastic apparatuses used internationally by magicians in their performances. Beytien’s works are sought after by those in the world of magic. He combines bold design with technical craftsmanship to create objects that successfully perform a seemingly impossible feat.

Grant Wood’s painting Plaid Sweater will make a special appearance in the Dubuque Museum of Art’s Randall Lengeling Gallery this fall, just in time for football weather. In addition, the original plaid sweater worn by Melvin Blumberg, the boy in the painting, will also be on view. Stop by to catch these two iconic Grant Wood items during their limited engagement in Dubuque!

Image: Grant Wood (America, 1891-1942), Plaid Sweater, 1931, oil on Masonite, 29 1/2×24 1/8 in., Gift of Mel R. and Carole Blumberg and Family, and Edwin B. Green through The University of Iowa Foundation, 1984.56. University of Iowa Museum of Art. Art © Figge Art Museum, successors to the Estate of Nan Wood Graham/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Since a 1990 exhibition at the British Museum of Natural History, Illinois botanical artist George Olson has been documenting the plant life of the American prairie through his large-scale drawings and watercolors. He is also actively involved in prairie propagation and educational efforts. Thirty-nine of Olson’s prairie botanical illustrations can be seen, allergy and bug free, in a new exhibition at the Dubuque Museum of Art opening August 15^th. These detailed “plant portraits” show native tallgrass plants in full bloom as well as at the end of their life cycle when they have withered and browned. The artist collects his samples on hikes through the plants’ native habitats and brings them back to his studio.

Olson was a professor of art at the College of Wooster in Ohio from 1963 to 2000. His artwork has been shown throughout the United States and England. He and his wife reside in Woodhull, Illinois.

Image: George Olson, Black-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta, 2014, watercolor, 26×20 in., collection of the artist.

This is the 2nd annual display of photographs from members of the Dubuque Camera Club, this year featuring 23 works with a uniquely Dubuque theme. The Dubuque Camera Club has been in existence since the early 1940s with its start at the Dubuque YMCA. The current club has over 30 members and is part of the N4C which is an organization of 42 camera clubs in 11 North Central states. Photo enthusiasts of all skill levels are encouraged to join the Camera Club and learn more about photography, become a qualifying member of N4C, and be eligible to participate in contests and activities.

Image: Ron Tigges, Fourth on the Fairway, 2014, Digital photograph on canvas, 18×12 in., collection of the artist.

Experience a modern view of Midwest landscapes in exhibition of eleven oil on canvas paintings by Grant William Thye. Thye is a Chicago-based artist who also runs the family farm that he grew up on in Grundy Center, Iowa. As a farmer and an artist, Thye has a unique relationship to the landscape. Thye paints what he knows best and in a style that brings a contemporary feel to a traditional subject.

Image: Grant William Thye, Autumn in the Blue Ridge, 2008, oil on canvas, 24×48 in., collection of the artist.

Dubuque Museum of Art is the final venue and last chance to see this celebratory 35th anniversary traveling exhibition from The Textile Study Group of New York (TSGNY). Explore 52 intimate fiber worlds, each contained within a 9x9x3 inch framed box, by 37 artists that were selected by juror Janet Koplos, a retired Senior Editor of Art in America and guest editor at American Craft. TSGNY is a dynamic group whose members are some of today’s most innovative and influential contemporary artists, instructors, and curators in American fiber arts. An incredibly diverse range of materials and techniques can be found in this unique exhibition.

The exhibiting artists are: Ludmila Aristova, George-Ann Bowers, Deborah Brand, Jane Barrows Broaddus, Benedicte Caneill, Katherine D. Crone, Margaret Cusack, Tracy Jamar, Erin Endicott, Sandra G. Fishman, Patricia Frik, Cheryl Gerhart, Sandra Golbert, Jeanne Heifetz, Linda Brooks Hirschman, Deborah Johnson, Mo Kelman, Julia Kiechel, Nancy Koenigsberg, Carole P. Kunstadt, Saberah Malik, Dorothy McGuinness, Yasuko Okumura, Linda Parker, Zenaide Reiss, Gail Resen, Lois Russell, Barbara Schulman, Harriet Serenkin, Naomi Tarantal, Devon Thein, Charlotte Thorp, K. Velis Turan, Marguerite Wolfe, Colette Wolff, Saaraliisa Ylitalo, Erma Martin Yost.

Image: Margaret Cusack, Two Trees in René Magritte’s Garden, 2011, threads, fabrics, balsa wood, paint, and gesso, 9x9x3 in., collection of the artist.

Two of America’s great artists, landscape painter Thomas Moran and Native American photographer Edward S. Curtis, come together in this exhibition that highlights their unparalleled creative and technical skill. Curtis was a generation younger than Moran but he had much in common with his elder. Both men were intrepid explorers and tireless artists. They had an interest in the lands and people of the American West and sought to heroically represent and preserve each, in their own way, in their art.

Image: Edward S. Curtis (America, 1868-1952), Iahˆla (“Willow”) – Taos, plate #545, 1905, photogravure on Dutch Van Gelder paper, 15 ½ x 11 ½ inches, gift of the Dubuque Cultural Preservation Committee, an Iowa general partnership consisting of Dr. Darryl K. Mozena, Jeffrey P. Mozena, Mark Falb, Timothy J. Conlon, and Dr. Randall Lengeling, 2009.545.

Two Nicolai Fechin paintings that are on long-term loan to Dubuque Museum of Art return for an encore exhibition. We continue to be grateful to be able to offer these wonderful works by this masterful artist for our visitors to enjoy.

The Fechin paintings were accompanied by a selection of new acquisitions to the DUMA permanent collection over the past three years by artists Nancy Purington, Francesco Licciardi, Emily Christenson, Cynthia Nelms-Byrne, and Richard Moninski.

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.

Artwork by art students from Dubuque’s Senior, Wahlert, and Hempstead high school was on view for a limited engagement in the Museum’s Falb Family Gallery.

Image: Installation view

After a long, seemingly unending Midwest winter it is a breath of fresh air to experience the new exhibition Midwest Landscapes by Iowa City pastel artist, Marcia Wegman. Her images remind us that, good or bad, the seasons don’t last. Lush hills, calm rivers, snowy fields can all be found in Wegman’s detailed pastel works.

Wegman was born in Washington D.C. in 1935 and raised in Ohio. She received her MFA studying printmaking at the University of Iowa under print legend, Mauricio Lasansky. Before becoming a full-time artist, Wegman and her husband ran the iconic store Things & Things & Things in Iowa City for 34 years. Wegman follows in a long line of Regionalist artists who celebrate their surroundings in their art, beginning with Grant Wood who also made his mark in Iowa City and studied and taught at the University.

For years, Wegman worked in a variety of mediums before discovering her extraordinary skill at pastels and is now a member of the Iowa Pastel Society and a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America. Her work ethic as an artist is rigorous. She challenges herself and maintains her skills by occasionally switching to abstract painting in acrylic as well as attending workshops and participating in regular drawing groups. Since 2009, Wegman has been selected for every Biennial exhibition at the Dubuque Museum of Art. Her work also has been selected for magazine competitions and major commissions. She has published several books, the most recent, Iowa Pastel Landscapes published by Penfield Books, is available for sale at the museum during the exhibition. Visit the artist’s website at marciawegman.com.

Image: Marcia Wegman (America, b. 1935), Fall Field, 2012, pastel, 28 ¾x26 in., collection of the artist.

A selection of ten early 20th century prints on loan from the University of Dubuque’s Knuth Collection, a collection of 50 Regionalist prints acquired by Dr. Helen Knuth (UD, 1933) from Associated American Artists (AAA). Also on view were two original AAA catalogs and Grant Wood’s Sultry Night, a print that was sold by AAA but because it contained a nude male figure was banned from being included in the catalogs or shipped via the U.S. Postal Service.

Early 20th century American Regionalist art is the core focus of the Dubuque Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Iowa artist, Grant Wood, was one of the founders of the Regionalist style. Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri and John Steuart Curry of Kansas, whose works were also in this exhibition, were also credited with establishing the American Regionalist style of art that focused on realistic, often heroic, portrayals of local, familiar, and mainly rural subjects.

Image: Thomas Hart Benton (America, 1889-1075), Haystack, 1938, lithograph, 10×12 in., Knuth Collection, University of Dubuque

The Dubuque Museum of Art is proud to present Grant Wood’s Appraisal and Victorian Survival in a specially designed section of the Randall Lengeling Gallery along with a continuously rotating selection of our extensive Grant Wood collection.

Image: Grant Wood (America, 1891-1942), Victorian Survival, oil on composition board, 1931, 32 1/2×26 1/4 in., on long-term loan from the Carnegie-Stout Public Library, made possible by the Lull Art Fund, LTL.99.09