Photo Courtesy of  Artist, 2010  
David B. Dahlquist

 born 1958

David B. Dahlquist

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David Dahlquist is a nationally-recognized public artist and teacher. His commissions for private, public, and institutional clients range from tilework and sculpture to major architectural installations. Since 1988, he has completed more than 60 large-scale public commissions across the country.

He received a Bachelor’s degree in Art with honors from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, New York. In 1983 he became the Artist-in-Residence at the Des Moines Art Center. David also served as an Assistant Professor in the Art and Design Department at Iowa State University from 1987 to 1993. In 1994, David established Dahlquist Clayworks, Inc., which became a part of RDG Planning & Design in 2004, of which he is now a Senior Partner. He leads RDG Dahlquist Art Studio, a comprehensive design and fabrication studio with a staff of eight professional artists.

David also works collaboratively with many different artists and has been a consultant on numerous multidisciplinary design teams. His contributions have influenced the site selection, planning, programming, and content of many projects. These projects are fabricated by RDG Dahlquist Art Studio and an extensive network of other skilled subcontractors. David and the RDG Dahlquist Art Studio have completed several new installations for the Art-in-Transit program of the Iowa Department of Transportation, integrating site-specific history and context-sensitive design within the new facilities. A project entitled From Here to There for the High Trestle Trail Bridge in central Iowa was recognized in the 2012 Public Art Year in Review. Two other Art-in-Transit projects for the City of Nashville and Calgary, Alberta, Canada were completed in 2012.

David is a storyteller whose work is about creating meaningful experiences for the public. Dahlquist’s work depends upon many different elements, “orchestrated” in a way that the public is welcomed into and moved by the experience. David received the 2009 University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education Alumni Award, the highest honor bestowed upon an alumnus. It recognizes an exemplary record of professional leadership and a career of extraordinary accomplishment. This award equally recognized David for his career-long support of developing artists, university and community initiatives, and art education.

David B. Dahlquist's Public Art in Greater Des Moines

  David B. Dahlquist

 2002  |  Long-Term Collection
  Urbandale

  David B. Dahlquist

 2009  |  Long-Term Collection
  Other Public Art Downtown

  David B. Dahlquist

 2007  |  Long-Term Collection
  Other Public Art Downtown

  David B. Dahlquist

 2011  |  Long-Term Collection
  Greater Des Moines

  David B. Dahlquist

 2002  |  Long-Term Collection
  Iowa State Fairgrounds

  David B. Dahlquist

 2008  |  Long-Term Collection
  Urbandale

  David B. Dahlquist

 2013  |  Long-Term Collection
  Other Public Art Downtown