The "most photographed Chinese accordion in the world" owned and loved by one of Iowa's own most beloved artist has been stolen!!

We’ve Found the Cause That Refreshes
by Christopher Kulovitz
I just got back from Los Angeles where I spent 4 days exploring how I can be “Happy.” No, It wasn’t a yoga position, a magic potion or a polarizing plunge into the Pacific from some cult philosophy with promises of instant peace, well-being, and hippy happiness. That would be medical marijuana. Instead, the journey I was on was about a bigger idea — a never-ending perception shift — from which I could glean some of its giddiness and return home to Dubuque to share and disseminate with the great folks of the tri-states. Just getting on a plane to warmer weather made me happy – but as I came to find out, the Happiness Factor has a much larger and longer-lasting shelf life. 

Downton Abbey is back on PBS for a second season! The popular British series explores the social and technological change during the period surrounding WWI from the perspective of country home's residents and staff. If you missed the first season (or want to be on the list for season two), you can place a hold in the Carnegie-Stout Public Library's catalog or watch online at PBS (including bonus features).
If you're one of the many caught up in the drama and romance of Downtown Abbey, the staff at Carnegie-Stout had put together a list of other books and programs that you may enjoy. Click the title for the suggested reading list!

The holiday season is suddenly upon us.  To celebrate, the Dubuque Museum of Art presents three new exhibits: Urban Landscapes by Mary Phelan, David Plowden’s Iowa, and Fire Department by Brent Houzenga.  Admission free and open to the public. Click the title for details.

82 patron votes and $850 sent two winning Art Gumbo projects out the door with funding for their "what's next?" to impact the arts in Dubuque. Perhaps the most all-arts-encompassing funding round yet, the proposals covered music, exhibition, film, a community-based art club, and a literary zine. Hempstead High School and the Julien International Film Festival were the big winners of the evening, but it was probably the Dubuque community who really won on this night. Click here for more on the night on Art Gumbo's Blog. And click here for more photos from the event.

The work of twelve artists will be featured in the month-long exhibit, located in a cavernous warehouse at 10th and Jackson streets in Dubuque’s Historic Millwork District. An additional eleven artists will contribute to a special show-within-a-show to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Many events fill the space all month long. Exhibit continues through October 7. Click the title for more information.

A Voice from the Warehouse:
Photographer, Artist and Storyteller of Hope
Mike McCaskey of Chicago Illinois By Brad Parks
There are a dozen good reasons to be attendance at the open night of Voices this year but let me give you four more. Four stories of hope and endurance that transcend destiny itself, each made possible by one remarkable man’s choice to leave behind every advantage of wealth, education and status over 30 years ago to serve those who had nothing but their own courage and will to succeed. Click the title for the rest of the story...

A Benefit for Albrecht Acres, August 5-6 Mississippi Moon Bar   by Mike Ironside
If you enjoyed live music in the Dubuque area back in those magic years of the 1960s and ‘70s and for some reason were not able to make it to last year’s Rock n Roll Rewind, there’s a pretty good chance that someone who did attend explained to you with great enthusiasm that you missed something very special. Because you did. Rock n Roll Rewind 2010, the first “official” Rewind was a music festival, reunion, and party that surprised most everyone in attendance, including no doubt, the organizers. Hosted by the Dubuque Rock Veterans (DRV) at Courtside Sports Bar over two days last August, Rock n Roll Rewind showcased reunion performances by 17 bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Not only were people surprised by the number of people in attendance or how smoothly the event played out, but also by how good the singers and musicians still sounded and how much fun it was to hear those bands play again. (Click into this blog post for the full performance schedule).

The new 2011-12 season of Art on the River opened Thursday, July 14 with ten new pieces of public sculpture in the area around the Grand River Center and along the Riverwalk.  Here’s a sampling of a few of the pieces from the exhibit. Kees Ouwens, a sculptor from the Netherlands who now lives in Seiyo City, Ehime, Japan, won the $1,000 first prize for his sculpture “Whispering Stones,” constructed of bolted beams of steel rods with granite stone sculptures placed on top. The 2011-2012 exhibit will be on display until the end of June, 2012.  More information about the present display is at www.cityofdubuque.org/artontheriver. Click here to see even more photos of the artwork from a variety of angles on the 365 Facebook page.

With the month of July comes a new Art on the River installation of sculptural work along the Riverwalk at the Port of Dubuque.  The City of Dubuque will host an opening celebration for the 2011-2012 Art on the River exhibit on Thursday, July 14, at 5:00 p.m. at the Grand River Center. The reception will feature the announcement of the $1,000 cash award for Best of Show chosen by a panel of three jurists, a feature begun last year.  Following a brief program, guests will have an opportunity to meet the artists and jury, and enjoy a walking tour of the exhibit.  The reception will feature hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. The public is invited to attend.