“The museum isn’t just a place in the community, it becomes part of the community.”

— Nicole Chamberlain-Dupree

This past weekend the Minnesota Marine Art Museum celebrated its 20th anniversary. With $6 throwback admission and the World’s Largest Duck (aka “Mama Duck”) in the gardens, it was a weekend that couldn’t be missed.

MMAM welcomed 2,486 museum visitors, with more than 1350 visitors on Saturday alone, a new museum record! With hundreds more visiting the duck outside, it was the most attended weekend in the museum’s history.

The entire weekend honored the people, visitors, staff, and volunteers who have made MMAM the place it is today, and have helped move the museum’s mission - to create meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water - forward for the last 20 years.

Mama Duck brought joy and fun to visitors of all ages, Dr. Bob delighted the crowd with a puppet show, and inside the museum, visitors explored the galleries and played Big Duck Bingo. At 1pm, attendees gathered outside to hear remarks from speakers such as Sue Gens (Minnesota State Arts Board, Executive Director), Scott Sherman (City of Winona, Mayor), Kate Carlson (Visit Winona, Executive Director), Nicole Chamberlain-Dupree (Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Former Executive Director), and Katherine Sublett (Erase The Stigma, Executive Director) among many others.

“The museum isn’t just a place in the community, it becomes part of the community,” says former MMAM Executive Director, Nicole Chamberlain-Dupree. This spirit of accessibility helps MMAM realize its vision- to spark wonder and create a more compassionate and connected world for all.

Thank you to each and every one of the twenty year’s worth of MMAM staff, volunteers, board members, visitors, and the Winona community for coming together to celebrate 20 years of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum!

Thank you to the 20th Anniversary sponsors, including WA Group, Fastenal, WNB Financial, HGA, Midtown Foods, Kohner Materials, Hotel 44 North, KQAL, La Crosse Distilling Co., Coca Cola of Winona, Hy-Vee, Costco, Walmart, Winona Post, and Target.