Volunteers Needed for Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Event Preparations

The City of Dubuque Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the Dubuque Museum of Art will host the 7th annual Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Competition and Festival in Dubuque’s downtown Washington Park, Feb. 8-11, 2024.

To prepare for the event, volunteers are needed on Tuesday, Feb. 6 to ‘stomp snow’ in wooden forms to create the blocks of snow that will be carved by sculpting teams throughout the week and by the community during Sunday’s festival activities.

What Does It Mean To 'Stomp Snow'?

A critical piece of bringing the Winter Arts event to life is creating multiple 6' x 6' x 8' blocks of snow for sculpting teams to carve for the competition. We also create several smaller blocks to be carved by the public during the community portion of the event on Sunday.

To form the blocks of snow, large wooden panels are assembled with racket straps and C-claps to form a box open on the top. Manufactured snow is dumped into the box, one skid steer bucket at a time. After each bucket load of snow, volunteers climb up a ladder and down another to get inside the form. Volunteers use shovels and other tools to break up the snow and then their feet to ‘stomp’ and compress the snow.

Creating a compact, consistent block of snow is essential for providing the highest quality 'canvas' for sculptors to work from. It is physically demanding but invigorating work that plays a big role in bringing one of Dubuque's most loved community art events to life.

Volunteering Details

• Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2024
  Two shifts available: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. (Wednesday, Feb. 7 will be offered as a back up snow stomping day in case of inclement weather, or if an additional work day is needed.)
• 10-12 volunteers needed per shift.
• Volunteer groups from local businesses, service agencies, etc., are welcomed.
• If you are not able for an entire shift but are still interested in volunteering, just let us know when you are available.
• Lunch and an outdoor tent with a heater for breaks provided.
• Volunteers are responsible for wearing appropriate winter clothing. Dressing in layers is recommended so you can remove or add layers to stay comfortable.
• Volunteers must be 18 or older and will be asked to sign a photo release / waiver of liability form. 

To sign up as a volunteer, email or call Danielle Stowell, Winter Arts Coordinator for the Dubuque Museum of Art, at info@dbqart.org or 563.581.9688. Volunteers can also sign up directly for this opportunity on VolunteerDBQ.

For general information on Winter Arts, visit www.cityofdubuque.org/winterarts or contact City of Dubuque Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Bonnie Spurling at bspurlin@cityofdubuque.org or 563.513.5636.