Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
VAN DUZEE, Kate Keith
VAN DUZEE, Kate Keith. (Dubuque, IA, Sept. 18, 1874--Dubuque, IA, Jan. 7, 1962). Founder, DUBUQUE BOYS' CLUB and DUBUQUE ART ASSOCIATION. Van Duzee, a director of the MOUNT PLEASANT HOME, was an organizer of the Dubuque Boys' Club in 1900. She later served as a director and trustee of the organization until 1915.
In 1910, in what would be the first of many activities establishing her as the "patron saint" of art in Dubuque, Van Duzee helped establish the Dubuque Art Association. She served as the Association's first secretary and worked for many years to encourage membership and bring exhibits to Dubuque.
Van Duzee sponsored Adrian Dornbies, the first artist to give lessons and operate a gallery in Dubuque. For many years, Van Duzee sketched and painted many of her favorite scenes from the Dubuque area. She received many prizes for her paintings. Many are proudly displayed in Dubuque homes. Van Duzee studied painting in Boston and Ipswich, Massachusetts; Saugatuck, Michigan; Ogunquit, Maine; and at Stone City, Iowa, with the famed Grant Wood.