Black and white photo of a person holding a ring, with a neon-style fleur-de-lis symbol drawn over one eye and above their face. Green text reads 'Dubuque Art City'.
Black fleur-de-lis symbol on a gold background with black border

Dubuque, Iowa — On the Mississippi River

Dubuque, Iowa: the “Key City” key to the west, has a long and rich art history. DubuqueArtCity is trying to tell as much of the story as possible.


United States flag with red and white stripes and blue canton with white stars.

The mission of DubuqueArtCity is to grow the artist economy in Dubuque through documentation of its rich art history and support of the development of infrastructure for artists; specifically, multidisciplinary visual artists seeking to create a sustainable business from their art practice.


Close-up of ornate, historic building facade with decorative sculptures and detailed architectural elements in yellow-green tint.

WHAT YOU’LL FIND HERE

HISTORY

ART HISTORY TIMELINE

A chronological record of Dubuque’s art history.

This is an evolving record, please share your additions.

THE BUSINESS OF ART

ARTIST ECONOMY OF GOODS & SERVICES

An index of resources that support local, multi-disciplinary visual artists seeking to build a business from their art practice.

In the streets

PUBLIC ART CATALOGUE

A catalog of public art in Dubuque, past and present. Mostly just a list of my favorite art-adjacent things I didn’t want lost from the record.

COMING SOON

The project

ABOUT DUBUQUEARTCITY

DubuqueArtCity is a passion project. Learn more about the objectives and goals.

FOR ARTISTS & VISITORS

RESOURCES & LINKS

GET INVOLVED

CONTACT & CONTRIBUTE

A local cement sculpture of an octopus with large black eye holes, situated on a grassy area with lush bushes in the background.

A timeline infographic displaying the history of art and culture in Iowa. Key periods include 1833, featuring Dubuque as Iowa's first city; 1850s, marked by architecture as art; 1910s, with the rise of early art institutions; 1950s, highlighting post-war creative surge; and today, emphasizing a living creative economy with multidisciplinary artists and tourism.

DubuqueArtCity TIMELINE

A GLIMPSE —— 

THE ARTIST ECONOMY of GOODS & SERVICES

The Business of Art ————— 

Wouldn’t it be cool if art infrastructure was a business niche in our community?

Koi pond with orange, white, and yellow fish, bordered by stacked stone with a small waterfall at the back, surrounded by plants.