Spring temperatures have arrived early in Dubuque this year and Dubuque’s 2024 Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival has been canceled due to the warmer than normal temperatures.
On Sunday, February 18th, gather in Washington Park and celebrate our community’s creativity at the 7th Annual Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival.
Inspired by the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra’s performance, families, friends and first time sculptors are invited to sculpt their own masterpiece on the theme of love. Accompanied by music from the DSO, stroll among giant snow creatures carved by teams competing for a slot at the U.S. National Championships.
Inside the Museum, Senior High School curators invite you to the opening of the annual K-8 Student Art exhibition featuring work by over 200 students from neighborhood and school in town. Warm up with fried chicken from Birds and hot cocoa served by the Community Foundation’s youth philanthropy program, the YAPPERS.
Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival 2024 Dubuque Iowa
Meet veteran snow sculptor Hugh McCarron and learn about the preparation, tools, and design work that goes into competing at the national level.
Hugh will also share tips and answer questions for anyone interested in learning how to get started working with snow.
With a few simple household tools and a bucket to pack snow in, you can become a snow sculptor at home, or even join the competition yourself.
This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcomed.
The 2023 Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival will take place Thursday, February 9 through Sunday, February 12, with community festivities on Sunday from 12 to 4 PM.
This free, family-friendly event is produced by the Dubuque Museum of Art in partnership with the City of Dubuque’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Teams of professional, amateur, and collegiate artists sculpt for four days, transforming 288 cubic feet of snow into masterful works of art. The winning team receives a cash prize and is offered the opportunity to represent the state of Iowa at the 2024 U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition in Lake Geneva, WI. A People’s Choice selection is also chosen through online and in-person voting from noon to 4 p.m. following the call for ‘tools down’ on the Sunday of festival weekend.
Birds. food truck will be available for purchase. The community sculpting area will feature themed blocks inspired by Saint-Saëns’ whimsical musical masterpiece “Carnival of the Animals,” in conjunction with Dubuque Symphony Orchestra’s spring family concert.
The Dubuque Museum of Art in partnership with the City of Dubuque Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs will host the 6th annual Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Competition and Festival in Dubuque’s downtown Washington Park, February 9-12, 2023.
To prepare for the event, volunteers are needed on Tuesday, Feb. 7 to ‘stomp snow’ in wooden forms to create the blocks of snow that will be carved by sculpting teams throughout the week and by the community during Sunday’s festival activities.
Dates and Times Volunteers Needed:
Tuesday, February 7, 2023 from 8:00 pm to 12:00 pm or 12:30 to 4:30 pm
Wednesday, February 8 will be offered as a back up snow stomping day in case of inclement weather, or if additional work day is needed.
Details About Volunteering:
Two shifts available: 8:00 am-12:00 pm or 1:00-4:00 pm
• 10-12 volunteers are needed per shift.
Volunteer groups from local businesses, service agencies, etc are welcomed.
If you are not able for an entire shift but are still interested in volunteering, just let us know when you are available.
• Lunch will be provided between noon and 1:00 pm.
• An outdoor tent with a heater for breaks provided.
• Volunteers are responsible for wearing appropriate winter clothing.
• Dressing in layers is recommended so you can remove or add layers to stay comfortable.
• Volunteers must be 18 or older and will be asked to sign a photo release / waiver of liability form.
Email or call Danielle Stowell, Winter Arts Coordinator for the Dubuque Museum of Art, at info@dbqart.org or 563.581.9688 with questions or to signup to volunteer. Volunteers can also sign up directly for this opportunity on VolunteerDBQ.
For general information on Winter Arts, visit http://www.cityofdubuque.org/winterarts or contact City of Dubuque Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Jenni Petersen-Brant at jbrant@cityofdubuque.org or 563.513.5636.
Winter Arts 2022 Snow Sculpting Competition & Festival
Public Event and Voting: Sunday, February 13th
Washington Park
The Dubuque Museum of Art, in partnership with the City of Dubuque, will host the 2022 Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Competition & Festival, sanctioned by Winter Fun Inc., February 10th – 13th. Visit with the artists as they transform 288 cubic feet blocks of snow into masterful works of art.
Vote for your favorite on Sunday, February 13th, from 12PM – 4PM. Families are invited to make their very own snow sculptures. Stay warm with Asian street food from VERSUS food truck.
Special thanks to event sponsors:
Conlon Construction
Sundown Mountain
McCoy Group & Truck Country
The Dubuque Museum of Art
City of Dubuque Office of Arts & Culture
Winter Fun, Inc.
Selco, Inc. KWWL
Forget Me Not Landscaping
Weber Concrete
Black Hills Energy
Wagner Nursery
This free, family-friendly event is brought to you by the Dubuque Museum of Art, in partnership with the City of Dubuque’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and Winterfun, Inc. This event is also made possible by the generous support of our corporate sponsor, Barton Wealth Management.
Sculpting will take place Wednesday through noon on Saturday, with teams working day and night to turn blocks of 288 cubic feet of snow into masterful works of art. The winning team will have the opportunity to represent the state at the 2022 U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition in Lake Geneva, WI.
Sculptors begin their work on Wednesday, February 10 and have through noon on Saturday to transform their 288 cubic feet block of snow into a work of art. The public is invited to visit the park to view the progress throughout the week.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Saturday afternoon family-event will shift to safer, socially distanced or home-based opportunities including alternate methods for people’s choice voting, sharing of suggested at-home snow sculpting activities, and promotion of drive-by or socially distanced on foot viewing of the completed pieces.
