The Dubuque Museum of Art (DuMA) selected Schulhof Rashidi Architects in 2023 to design a transformative new museum campus at the heart of Dubuque’s downtown.

The design process began with immersive listening sessions involving local artists, parents, educators, and young professionals. These early conversations were crucial in shaping the museum’s design to prioritize inclusive art education, interactive experiences, and flexible programming, all contained within a building that will be a landmark in Downtown Dubuque. The design for DuMA is an arts campus that will fit within downtown Dubuque’s historic fabric while establishing itself as a new cultural beacon for the city.

The design features three interconnected pavilions, each reflecting a core aspect of the museum’s mission. The Programs Pavilion, the museum’s most visible public space, includes flexible classrooms, a lobby/event area, and a small café. Sculptural skylights project from its roof, flooding the interior with natural light by day and glowing like lanterns by night.

The Gallery Pavilion houses a flexible special exhibits gallery on the ground floor and dedicated galleries for the permanent collection on the top floor. North-facing sawtooth skylights on the roof filter natural light into the collection galleries, inspired by the industrial architecture of Mississippi River warehouses. Finally the Collections Pavilion is designed to securely house the museum’s permanent collection.

A vibrant landscape, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, engages with the neighboring Washington Park and seamlessly integrates with the three pavilions, creating a unified cultural campus that serves both the Dubuque community and the broader region.