We need a crew of go-getters to stomp snow into huge blocks for the eighth-annual Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival this February!
Multiple shifts are available for this opportunity. If you can't make it for an entire shift, that is okay! Helping even for an hour or two still lets other volunteers take a break to warm up.
- Available shifts: 8am - noon and 12:30-4:30pm. Shift end-times are approximate, depending how many sculpting teams are registered and how many blocks we have to build.
- Lunch and a warming tent will be provided at noon. Volunteers are welcome to come early/stay after their shift to enjoy lunch.
What does it mean to ‘Stomp Snow’ exactly? We need to create multiple 6'x6'x8' blocks of solid snow that teams of local artists will sculpt throughout the week. We also create several smaller blocks to be carved by the public during the community festival on Sunday, February 9th.
To form these blocks of snow, large wooden panels are assembled and clamped together with ratchet straps to make a giant box frame. Manufactured snow is dumped into the box, one skid steer bucket at a time. After each bucket load of snow is dumped into the box, volunteers climb a ladder up, over, and into the box. Once inside, each person uses a shovel or other tools to break up the snow, and stomp on it until it hardens and is compressed. Creating a compact, consistent block of snow is essential for providing the highest quality 'canvas' for the snow sculptors to work from. It is physically demanding but invigorating volunteer work that is a critical effort in bringing one of Dubuque's most loved community art events to life!
More about the Festival
The Competition
Throughout the week of February 6–9, teams of professional, amateur, and collegiate sculptures compete for a $1000 prize by carving giant snow creations from 6x6x8 blocks of solid snow. All teams will have the chance to be crowned the People’s Choice Award-winner which comes with a $300 cash prize.
Community Snow Sculpting and Family Activities
The Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival offers a free, family-friendly gathering with hands-on activities, food and beverage vendors, and People's Choice voting in Washington Park from noon to 4 p.m. on the Sunday of the festival week. Activities include a community snow sculpting area with preformed blocks of snow and tools provided for anyone to try their hand at snow sculpting.
Dubuque by Design
The Winter Arts Snow Sculpting Festival is an annual celebration of community creativity, and coincides with more than the Super Bowl this year. The 2025 festival also serves as the closing event for DuMA’s landmark exhibition, Dubuque by Design: Celebrating 150 Creative Years. That exhibition inspires this year’s theme: Creative Community. We believe the act of creating together inspires us to push the boundaries of art, strengthens our community, and is just good fun.
Winter Arts is a community festival produced by the Dubuque Museum of Art (DuMA) in partnership with the City of Dubuque’s Office of Arts and Culture and Wicked River Event Production.
