Community Collaborations

The City’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs engages in a number of public and private partnerships that involve citizens, community organizations, and other departments throughout the City to bring a variety of arts and culture related initiatives to life. These projects strive to meet the goals and priorities of the City’s Arts & Culture Master Plan while aligning with broader City Council goals and priorities through unique cross-sector collaborations empowered by the diverse voices and incredible talents of our community.

Art En Route

The City, in partnership with Green Dubuque, is utilizing a $25,000 national grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative program to enhance 14 bus shelter locations throughout Dubuque with painted murals on the sidewalk surface under and around those shelters. The goal of the sidewalks murals is to draw attention to the City’s extensive and accessible public transit system as a community asset while encouraging residents to actively partner in the City’s Climate Action Plan.

Learn more about the Art En Route program.





Solidarity Mural

A collaboration between local artist Shelby Fry, Voices Productions, and the City, the Solidarity Mural was created in July 2020 by 75+ community members who volunteered in 1-hr shifts over the course of 6 days to venture 35' in the air in a lift and paint side-by-side with strangers on this 105' wide and 25' tall mural. The Solidarity Mural is located on the East-facing exterior of the Five Flags Civic Center in downtown Dubuque.  

Learn more about the Solidarity Mural. 





Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival and Competition

Through an ongoing partnership between the Dubuque Museum of Art, the City and Winterfun, Inc, Dubuque is home to the State of Iowa’s official snow sculpting competition in early February each year. The week-long event features teams of snow sculptors vying to represent the state at the annual U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition in Lake Geneva, WI and ends with a free, family-friendly festival in downtown Dubuque’s Washington Park.

Learn more about the Winter Arts program.




Storm Drain Mural Project

The Storm Drain Mural Project is a continuation of a 2019 pilot facilitated through the Bee Branch Watershed Flood Mitigation Project which aims to educate and raise awareness about stormwater pollution. The sidewalk murals transform everyday functional infrastructure into engaging works of art that draw attention to water-quality issues and inspire Dubuque residents to have a positive impact on their environment. To date, the program has created 10 sidewalk murals.

Learn more about the Storm Drain Mural Project.