Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
PORTRAITS OF DUBUQUE
PORTRAITS OF DUBUQUE. Colorful portraits in pastel chalk of more than eighty Dubuque residents who helped ease racial tension in the city. Created by Pella artist Tilly Woodward, the project was a reaction to cross burnings in Dubuque during the last half of 1991. Arriving in Dubuque, Woodward learned that WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH was active in social issues and went to the congregation for help.
The church co-sponsored the project and assisted Woodward in obtaining a grant from the Iowa Arts Council. Expecting one hundred nomination forms, the church office received 338. Of those nominated, 225 people agreed to be photographed and meet with the artist for an interview. The name of each subject was stenciled at the top of the portrait which measured 30 inches by 20 inches. Beneath each portrait was a brief description of some act of kindness. The portraits were then mounted on large panels and displayed at the museum, airport, and at both public and parochial schools during the fall of 1992.