A conversation among present and past Biennial artists as well as current Iowa Artist Fellows about the choices they’ve made and/or wished they made about their education, their approach to earning a living, and their experiences with museums and galleries.
Louise Kames, a DuMA Biennial 2023 artist and Director of Clarke University’s the Art + Design Program moderates this panel discussion.
Confirmed participants include Peter Xiao, a DuMA Biennial 2023 artist and art professor at Augustana College; Stina Henslee a DuMA Biennial 2023 artist and graphic designer; David Zahn, a DuMA Biennial 2023 sculptor; Erin Dragotto, a DuMA Biennial 2017 artist and VP of Development & Operations for the Museum of Art & Light opening in Kansas next year; and Steffany King, art educator at Dubuque Senior High School.
The 2022 Iowa Arts Fellows joining the conversation are Jennifer Colville from Iowa City, author of “Short Stories for Uncanny Girls” and publisher of PromptPress, a book art journal; Tim Olson, from Dubuque, an artist and photographer whose series titled “Olson’s Art Through the Ages” reimagines historic paintings; and David James “DJ” Savarese from Iowa City, a public speaker, writer and activist who makes literacy-based education, communication and inclusive lives a reality for nontraditionally speaking people.
Made possible by Dupaco Credit Union and Hirschbach Motor Lines, sponsors of the DuMA Biennial 2023.
We expect the conversation will spill out into Washington Park where you can visit with more than 65 DBQ Fest 2023 artists and purchase work to take home. Take a break and refresh with Key City Beer Festival who reminds us that craft brewing is another art form that binds us.
A behind the scenes in person tour of an artist’s studio and a peek at a work in progress. Tour Mitchell’s sculpture studio located on a small farm. Also screen video of the making of Mitchell’s Funnel Vision installation on the Platteville Community Arboretum trail, one of 4 works he is creating for the trail.
A behind the scenes in person tour of an artist’s studio and a peek at a work in progress. Tour the Clarke University print studio and watch demonstrations of screen-printing, etching and relief printing. Kames’ sabbatical drawings will be available to view in the 2D studio.
Directions: Enter from east end of campus, near CSI (Center of Science Inquiry) new building. Park in the upper lot behind the Atrium/Eliza Kelly Hall. A student will be at the at the back door to provide assistance if needed. This location is handicapped accessible.
DuMA will debut three exhibitions and host an opening reception on Saturday, June 26 from 5:00-7:00 pm.
The event is open to the public and will feature new works of art on view for the first time. Refreshments will be served along with a cash bar.
Regular admission rates apply for non-members. Museum members are invited to attend free of charge. Accepted Biennial artists will be in attendance, and the juror will present awards for first, second, and third place entries.
About the exhibitions:
The 2021 “DuMA Biennial” is a competitive, juried exhibition intended to recognize and honor the artistic talent that exists throughout our region, within a 200-mile radius of Dubuque. This year’s entries shed light on how artists have experienced, interpreted, and reacted to the last two years. The exhibition is sponsored by Premier Bank, Humanities Iowa, and Grand River Medical Group.
“Emotionscapes: Paintings by Joyce Polance” is a series of 14 oil paintings made since 2015. The expressionistic paintings meld realism with abstraction, and focus on movement, energy, and emotion. Polance was a Chicago-based painter for over 26 years before a move in December 2020, accelerated by COVID-19, took her away from the Midwest and back to her home state of New York.
“How the Big Bad Wolf Got His Comeuppance” is the second book in Arthur Geisert’s trilogy of stories set in Clayton County, Iowa, and presents a new interpretation of the legendary three little pigs story. The first book in the trilogy, Pumpkin Island, came out in 2019 and was set in Geisert’s hometown of Elkader, the county seat. The third book is currently in creation and will feature trolls who live under the many stone bridges on the Turkey River, the main tributary in the county that flows into the Mississippi River. Original etchings will be on display. This exhibition is sponsored by MidWestOne Bank.
The presentation begins with Sarah Humphreville, juror of the 2019 DUMA Biennial, and will be followed by artist Thomas Paquette regarding his exhibition America’s River Re-Explored, Paintings of the Mississippi from Source to Gulf.
The 2019 DUMA Biennial is open through September 8th. America’s River Re-Explored is open through July 28, 2019.
Sarah Humphreville has been part of the Whitney curatorial department since 2012 and has worked on exhibitions such as Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables, Stuart Davis: In Full Swing, and American Legends: From Calder to O’Keeffe.
Sarah Humphreville, 2019 DUMA Biennial juror
Thomas Paquette graduated from Bemidji State University with a B.F.A. degree in painting in 1985, and has painted full-time since 1988, when he earned his M.F.A. degree in painting on full fellowship from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Paquette’s landscape paintings have been exhibited across the United States, and were featured in more than fifty solo exhibitions at prominent art galleries in Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington D.C.
Entries are currently being accepted through March 5, 2017 for the 2017 DUMA Biennial. Entries can be submitted online through Juried Art Services.
The 2017 DUMA Biennial will be held May 27 – August 20, 2017 and is open to all media created within the past two years. The exhibition is open to all artists, 18 years of age or older, residing within a 200 mile radius of Dubuque, Iowa. Purchase awards and exhibition opportunities are some of the additional benefits possible for artists whose work is selected for this very popular and competitive exhibition that highlights the quality and variety of artwork currently being produced in this area.
