View source for DUBUQUE MUSEUM OF ART

[[Image:museumart.jpg|left|thumb|250px|]]DUBUQUE MUSEUM OF ART. The current Dubuque Museum of Art began in 1874 as the [[DUBUQUE ART ASSOCIATION]], the oldest cultural agency in Iowa.  The Association, originally located in the [[LORIMIER HOUSE]] at the corner of 8th and Main, was organized by a progressive group of community leaders who opened Association membership to the public and collected subscriber’s fees to purchase art.  The Association’s visibility was increased by holding public art exhibitions of the purchased art in a variety of locations throughout the city.  A fine arts gallery was opened in March, 1886; forty-two artists and amateurs were represented; 10 cents admission was charged. Through admission charged at these events additional purchases were made for the Association’s collection.    

The public library was established in 1859 and moved to its location on 11th Street in 1902.  Lacking funding, the Art Association which had operated in cooperation with the library, disbanded and donated fifteen pieces of art to the library.  The arts group reorganized in 1910 through the efforts of [[VAN DUZEE, Kate Keith|Kate Keith VAN DUZEE]] and Dr. E. R. Lewis.  Meetings and exhibitions were held at the library.  A listing of the Association’s founding subscribers has not survived, however the following individuals helped shape its growth in the early to mid 20th century: [[VAN DUZEE, Kate Keith|Kate Keith VAN DUZEE]], [[HALLIBURTON, Louise Herron|Louise Herron HALLIBURTON]], Adrian Dornbush, [[ROSSITER, Dorothy|Dorothy ROSSITER]], and [[WOOD, Grant|Grant WOOD]].   

In the first decade of the 20th century, a complete portfolio of native American pictures by nationally recognized Wisconsin photographer Edward Curtis was donated to the library by Emma Ward in honor of her husband, Hiram. (1) In 1923 Mary Lull, the widow of a Dubuque physician, gave $5,000 to the library to spend on acquiring art. One of the first important acquisitions was a complete portfolio of native American pictures by nationally recognized Wisconsin photographer Edward Curtis. In 1927, $350 from the Lull Art Fund was used to purchase Grant Wood's painting "Appraisal."  "Victorian Survival" was purchased shortly afterwards for $800.  

In 1956, the Dubuque Art Association left the library.  In the 1970s the association moved into the [[BARN (THE)]] (Slattery Center) until 1975 when it relocated to the [[OLD JAIL]]. The Association leased the building from Dubuque County for $10 annually. (2)
  
The Dubuque Art Association established the Dubuque Museum of Art in 1987 and Jean Hunter, the first full-time director was hired.  In 1988 in its first capital campaign, the museum hosted a 50-year retrospective of Dubuque artist [[LICCIARDI, Francesco|Franceso LICCIARDI]].  The campaign took in one-half million dollars which was used to renovate the Old Jail building. 

By the 1990s, the board of the museum realized that the Old Jail could not be climate-controlled to the standards of the American Association of Museums. To purchase a new building, in 1997 the Association asked the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors to reimburse the Association $794,000 used to renovate the Old Jail. (3)

On February 16, 1998 the Museum purchased the former [[STATESMAN BANK]], a building which had received an award from the American Institute of Architects, and hired Minnesota architect Joan Sorano to direct the renovation. (4) In April the board of trustees of the museum decided to reconsider its proposal to the board of supervisors. It was felt that, in the long run, the use of the Old Jail for office space would lead to the loss of a "unique cultural asset" to the community. (5) 

The relocation to the bank building and the renovation was financed through the Woodward Foundation and Bob and Barbara Woodward, local banks, and loans from the City of Dubuque. The relocation was looked upon as a major step toward accreditation of the museum by the American Association of Art Museums. The new building had environmental controls and an elevator, both required for accreditation. (6)

At the same time, the public library chose to loan Grant Wood's "Appraisal" and "Victorian Survival" to the museum on a long-term basis. The Dubuque Museum of Art was fortunate to have a significant collection of early paintings by Iowa Regionalist Grant Wood, as well as a complete set of his lithographs, a set of decorative doors, and the Grant Wood oil paintings-- "Appraisal" and "Victorian Survival", on long term loan from the [[CARNEGIE-STOUT PUBLIC LIBRARY]].   The Curtis collection was purchased from the library around 2008 for $500,000 by the Dubuque Cultural Preservation Committee, a group of local business and civic people.  That kept the collection in Dubuque after an offer of $1 million had be made from Texas.  The Museum also has the complete collection of Illinois artist/illustrator Arthur Geisert’s etchings completed for his series of children’s books.      

Around 2009, the Museum’s staff included four full-time and three part-time employees; its Board of Trustees included nineteen individuals living in Dubuque or in a twenty mile regional area.  Accredited by the American Association of Museums in 2005, the Museum sought to be responsive to artists within the region as well as to the general community through a variety of temporary exhibitions on a year-round schedule, gallery tours, outreach programs, and a variety of educational student classes and parent/child initiatives. 

In 2015 Dubuque became one of the smallest communities in the United States to have two affiliates of the Smithsonian Institution--the [[NATIONAL MISSISSIPPI RIVER MUSEUM AND AQUARIUM]] and the Dubuque Museum of Art. Earning the distinction meant that both organizations were open to displaying some of the Smithsonian's vast collections.  (7)

In August, 2022 museum officials announced they were seeking a grant to help fund the early stages of an expansion of the facilities. The $3 million grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority's Nonprofit Innovation Fund would help finance early planning and design to provide more space committed to programming and establishing permanent exhibits. A letter of support for the grant application was recently submitted by the Dubuque City Council. The Innovation Fund was using $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to support initiatives of nonprofits in Iowa. Museum officials announced no definitive plans for where or how the museum would expand, but that funds would partially pay for any design fees, property acquisition costs, and site demolition and preparation all to occur in 2022 and 2023. 

As the announcement was made, the museum was already conducting a building operational feasibility study which was part of a strategic plan developed in 2021 to triple the number of people served by the museum to 30,000 annually by 2026. According to the grant application, officials planned on beginning construction on a museum expansion in three phases to be completed in 2027. The estimated cost to design the expansion, acquire property, conduct demolition, and prepare the site was estimated at $7.6 million. Fundraising which began in 2018 by 2022 had raised an estimated $4.1 million, but these funds were donated toward the construction of a new building and would not be allocated to any design or preparation costs. (8)

In December, 2022 museum officials announced their efforts to obtain a $10 million state grant toward a $40 million construction project. Efforts to date included a fundraising campaign started in 2018 which raised $30 million. In 2017 and 2018 the neighboring KDTH building and adjoining ImOn Communications office building were purchased.  If the grant was achieved, construction would begin in November 2023 and completed by November 2026. The expansion would include new museum space and an outdoor art and event space. (9) 

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Sources:

1. Petersen, Stacy, e-mail, May 3, 2020

2. Reber, Craig. "Museum of Art to Move," ''Telegraph Herald'', February 17, 1998, p. 3A. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&dat=19980217&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Reber, Craig. "Museum Withdraws Request; Old Jail to Remain Cultural," ''Telegraph Herald'', April 21, 1998, p. 3A. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=aEyKTaVlRPYC&dat=19980421&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

6. Ibid.

7. "2nd Smithsonian Pact a Boon for Dubuque," ''Telegraph Herald'', January 15, 2016, p. 4A

8. Kruse, John, "Dubuque Museum of Art Seeks $3 Million Grant for Expansion Project," ''Telegraph Herald'', August 6, 2022, p. 1A

9. Kruse, John, "Art Museum Plans Major Expansion," ''Telegraph Herald,'' December 3, 2020, p. 1A

Ritts, Edwin  Jr. Director: Dubuque Museum of Art

Voight, Sandye. "Art Museum Traces Its Roots to 1874."  '''175 Years''', Volume III, ''Telegraph Herald'', Sept. 15, 2008, p. 144
  
                        
[[Category: Art Gallery]]