Dubuque Street Art
What do you notice about the colors, pictures or lines in each painting? Is there a message being communicated?
Beautiful paintings cover entire walls of buildings throughout Dubuque for the city to enjoy.
Transcript
[Abby Brown] All art starts with an idea. And if that idea involves painting, you're going to need a canvas. And if that canvas is the side of a building, it's now art that anyone can admire.
(A large jagged-toothed spiral that goes from warm colors like reds and oranges to cool colors like greens and blues as the spiral becomes smaller.)
(Map marking Dubuque County in northeastern Iowa.)
In 2016, a nonprofit organization called Voices Productions had an idea.
(A layering of blue and pink tones with geometric shapes interspersed with a black and white portrait of Poseidon holding a circular disk and white and yellow pond lilies.)
They wanted to blast the blank sides of buildings all over the city of Dubuque with art.
(A black and white photorealistic portrait of a young woman looking off to the side with a black and blue pyramid and a cloudy cube in the distance.)
So they worked with owners of buildings and creators of the art to make it happen.
(On the side of a building is a painting of a cluster of pink flowers. There is a gray and white portrait of a woman peaking out of the cluster of flowers.)
(A woman riding on a bald eagle over the backdrop of red and blue stars.)
The murals on the Street Art Trail range from florals to historical to playful.
This one appears to have eyes made out of the building's windows. They go perfectly with the painted nose and mouth.
In this one, I see mountains and people. A closer look shows those people working together. And now I understand those mountains to represent challenges. It's amazing what teamwork can accomplish.
What kind of bird is that? And where is it going? South for the winter? To his bestie’s nest? Maybe just some peaceful time in the clouds to relax.
What's that guy looking for? A good look at his favorite wildflower? His other dog? Or maybe he's looking forward to something very exciting.
But don't take my word for it. The best part about art is everyone sees it differently. So come on out and discover your own interpretation.
Every county in Iowa has its own artistic flair. In Dubuque County, that creativity can be enjoyed simply by walking down the street.
Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella and the Gilchrist Foundation.