Recommended Sculptures for 2026-27 Art on the River Rotating Public Art ExhibitionCity of Dubuque
City Council
CONSENT ITEMS # 16.
Copyrighted
March 2, 2026
ITEM TITLE: Recommended Sculptures for 2026-27 Art on the River
Rotating Public Art Exhibition
SUMMARY: City Manager recommending City Council approval of the
Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission's
recommendation related to the 2026-27 Art on the River
exhibit to be on display from August 9, 2026, through June
2027.
SUGGUESTED Receive and File; Approve
DISPOSITION:
ATTACHMENTS:
1. MVM Memo Recommended Sculptures for 2026-27 Art on the River Rotating
Public Art Exhibition
2. Staff Memo
Page 428 of 939
Dubuque
THE CITY OF
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Recommended Sculptures for 2026-27 Art on the River Rotating Public Art
Exhibition
DATE: February 25, 2026
Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Bonnie Spurling is recommending City Council approval
of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission's recommendation related to the
2026-27 Art on the River exhibit to be on display from August 9, 2026, through June
2027. The 2026-27 Art on the River (AOTR) will be the City's 20t" edition hosting this
popular rotating exhibit of large-scale sculptural public art along the Mississippi
Riverwalk in the Port of Dubuque.
The Commission unanimously voted on February 24, 2026, to approve the
recommendation as follows:
1. Concurrence with the community review panel's 11 sculpture selections:
a. Mark and Hannah Ricke, "Solitude"
b. Chris Wubbena, "Action Reaction"
c. Lucas Delaney, "Topography of Stillness"
d. Kirk Seese, "Lumenfly"
e. Timothy Sprengelmeyer, "Unci Maka"
f. Thaeley Hozer and Danelle Jelinek, "The Key to Dubuque"
g. Jarod Charzewski, "Extruded Life"
h. Mark Hall, "Avenue Dream Catcher"
i. Kristin Garnant, "Cohesive Narrative"
j. Steve Buduo, "Air Garden II"
k. Nathan Pierce, "Spiritcycle"
2. Concurrence with the community panel's 4 alternate sculpture selections as
needed by Staff to fill any exhibition voids that may arise if a recommended
sculpture is unavailable:
a. Molly Spain, "Snag"
b. Nicole Beck, "King of Prairie Town"
c. David Zahn, "Of the Earth"
d. Chris Plaisted, "Tranquility"
Page 429 of 939
There are no new budget impacts associated with this request. The request uses
approved FY27 budget allocations dedicated to Art on the River; the FY27 Art on the
River budget provides up to 11 stipends of $1,800 per sculpture with travel
reimbursements of up to $200 per artist.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Y
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
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Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
2
Page 430 of 939
Dubuque
THE CITY OF
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Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2017*2019
TO: Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Bonnie Spurling, Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager
Economic Development Department
Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs
1300 Main Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4763
Office (563) 589-4393
TTY (563) 690-6678
http://www.cityofdubuque.org
SUBJECT: Recommended Sculptures for 2026-27 Art on the River Rotating Public Art
Exhibition
DATE: February 24, 2025
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum presents the recommended 2026-27 Art on the River sculpture selections
as curated by a community jury panel and supported by the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory
Commission (the Commission) for approval by the City Manager and City Council.
BACKGROUND
The 2026-27 Art on the River (AOTR) will be the City's 20t" edition hosting this popular
rotating exhibit of large-scale sculptural public art along the Mississippi Riverwalk in the Port
of Dubuque. Each year, the program cultivates a new open-air gallery and community events
that engage residents and visitors in a multi -faceted experience of one of our most significant
and unique attractions, the Mississippi River. Sculptures are sourced through an open call
and available for private purchase for a period of one-year; the 2026-27 exhibit will be on
display from August 9, 2026, through June 2027.
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Art on the River is produced annually and promoted throughout by the Office of Arts &
Cultural Affairs in tandem with community volunteers and City staff. The current AOTR
Planning Committee includes Commissioners Shirley Davis -Orwell and Gail Chavelelle,
community members, Ryan Decker and Gina Siegert. The Planning Committee, in
concurrence with the Commission, used the following process to arrive at this year's
recommendation.
Theme: The theme "Stillness in the Driftless" was drafted by the Planning Committee and
approved by the Commission to recruit submissions that invite artists to explore the quiet
strength and reflective beauty of the Driftless landscape. This theme celebrates moments of
pause and presence, and how stillness reveals connection, renewal, and belonging within
Dubuque's riverfront environment.
Selection Process: AOTR sculptures are identified through an international open call for art
and community -driven selection process. Program guidelines are posted online and
Page 431 of 939
advertised broadly. Any interested artist can submit up to 3 entries for consideration at no
cost through our online application portal. There is generally a 6-week window between when
the call is released and when submissions are due. This year, we received 53 unique
applications from 32 artists representing 12 states in the US.
The Planning Committee engages 3 community members based on their expertise in public
art, visual art exhibit curation, and / or in relation to the exhibit's theme to provide an objective
recommendation of works to be exhibited from the submissions received. This year's
`community juror panel' included:
• Glenn Williams — Associate Professor of Art and Area Head of Sculpture, University of
Wisconsin -Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
• Ellen Henkels — Dubuque Visual Arts Educator and Teaching Artist, Dubuque, IA
• Bryce Taylor — College Professor, Loras College, Dubuque, IA
Panelists independently review, score, and comment on submissions based on the criteria
below:
• Theme Appropriateness: How well does the sculpture speak, both visually and through
the artist's statements, to the `Stillness in the Driftless theme?
• Artistic Creativity: Does the making or presentation of the work demonstrate
innovative, original approaches in bold, thoughtful, and / or well -crafted ways?
• Aesthetic Value: Will the work attract the public's attention? To what degree will the
work add to the Riverwalk's natural or built landscape?
• Structural Integrity: Will the sculpture structurally stand up against the elements?
After all scores were entered and then reviewed by Staff, panelists met virtually with Staff to
collectively curate the exhibit based on said scoring. Until these final curating discussions,
information that identifies the applying artist is absent from the process to support unbiased
review of applications.
Recommendation: The panelists' recommendation of 11 sculptures for exhibit plus 4
alternates were presented to the Commission for consideration on February 24, 2026. No
additional installation concerns have been noted at this time. The Commission unanimously
voted on February 24, 2026, to approve the recommendation as follows:
Concurrence with the community review panel's 11 sculpture selections:
a. Mark and Hannah Ricke, "Solitude"
b. Chris Wubbena, "Action Reaction"
c. Lucas Delaney, "Topography of Stillness"
d. Kirk Seese, "Lumenfly"
e. Timothy Sprengelmeyer, "Unci Maka"
f. Thaeley Hozer and Danelle Jelinek, "The Key to Dubuque"
g. Jarod Charzewski, "Extruded Life"
h. Mark Hall, "Avenue Dream Catcher"
i. Kristin Garnant, "Cohesive Narrative"
j. Steve Buduo, "Air Garden II"
k. Nathan Pierce, "Spiritcycle"
Page 432 of 939
2. Concurrence with the community panel's 4 alternate sculpture selections as needed by
Staff to fill any exhibition voids that may arise if a recommended sculpture is
unavailable:
a. Molly Spain, "Snag"
b. Nicole Beck, "King of Prairie Town"
c. David Zahn, "Of the Earth"
d. Chris Plaisted, "Tranquility"
BUDGETIMPACTS
There are no new budget impacts associated with this request. The request uses approved
FY27 budget allocations dedicated to Art on the River; the FY27 Art on the River budget
provides up to 11 stipends of $1,800 per sculpture with travel reimbursements of up to $200
per artist.
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Staff requests the City Manager and City Council approve the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory
Commission's recommendation noted above related to the 2026-27 Art on the River exhibit.
Following City Manager and City Council approval of the above, agreements as reviewed by
the City Attorney's Office, will be presented to Artists for signature and forwarded to the City
Manager for execution.
Cc: Jill Connors, Economic Development Director
Jenny Larson, Chief Financial Officer
Page 433 of 939