The Dubuque Museum of Art hasn't always taken up the corner of Locust and 7th, located across from Washington Park in the heart of the city. It was founded as the Dubuque Art Association in 1874 and was based at the Lorimer House, then moved into the building that now houses the Telegraph Herald. Later, it relocated again to the Carnegie-Stout Public Library and even occupied space in a former county jail over the years.
After celebrating the institution's 150th anniversary in 2024, the museum will soon undergo another makeover, completing a renovation to its building that will expand the campus and add several community-oriented additions. As it prepares for the renovation, the museum is also honoring the past of the city it's been intertwined with since its start.
The museum's current exhibit, "Dubuque by Design," explores the impact that local designs have had on the lives of Iowans. The installation spans 150 years — all the way back to the museum's beginning in 1874 — and ends with a model of the new museum, looking toward the future.
"I think it's really cool to just see the parallels between exploring the past and all the design while looking to the future of what design will look like and continue to look like at the Dubuque Museum of Art," said Executive Director Gary Stoppelman.
"Dubuque by Design" actually begins outdoors, where a large, vintage rotary SnoGo snowblower parked next to the building greets visitors. The machine, originally designed and manufactured in Dubuque in the late 1920s by the Klauer Manufacturing Company, is still in use, though graciously lent for the exhibit amid the snowy season.
Inside the museum, natural light filters into the lobby through stained glass window-inspired designs created by 13 art students at the University of Iowa. They're modeled after the Tiffany windows of Dubuque's historic St. Luke's Methodist Church.
A replica of an 1906 Adams-Farwell car sits near the front desk. The museum invites visitors to climb inside and explore — even honk its horn. The original automobile was made with one of the earliest Adams-Farwell Rotary 5 Engines, built by the Adams Company of Dubuque. According to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, a three cylinder version of the engine likely powered the first rubber-tired automobile in 1899.
Upstairs is a trove of historical artifacts relating to design, starting with the desk where architect Alfred Caldwell sketched the design of Dubuque's Eagle Point Park. The artifacts span the circular room, and include a collection of local innovations that have played a role in daily life in Dubuque, like a pair of Lange Ski Boots, the world’s first plastic ski boots, which were created in Dubuque and are still sold today.
And the exhibit explores everything in between, from designs related to manufacturing, transportation, graphic design, architecture, urban design, fashion and landscape.
"Dubuque loves its history. We're incredibly proud of our history, and yet we don't always connect that to the art that's in a museum, right?" Stoppelman said. "And so everything that we're doing at the museum is trying to... build those bridges so people see more connections between the art that's in the museum and the art that shows up in our lives, and design is such a powerful way to do that."
The exhibit is broad, but whittled down to the most impactful Dubuque-based pieces of the last 150 years. Guest curator Josephine Shea says there is plenty more material that could be displayed in the future.
“We did not intend to be an encyclopedia, and this might be the beginning of other, focused design exhibitions," she said on IPR's Talk of Iowa.
"Dubuque by Design" is on display through Feb. 9 at the Dubuque Museum of Art.
The museum's new facility is expected to be completed in 2027. While construction is underway, the Telegraph Herald reports that the museum will relocate to the Dupaco Voices Building for two years. It plans to unveil its first exhibition there in October.
The Dubuque Museum of Art is an underwriter of Iowa Public Radio.
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Samantha McIntosh produced this episode.
