Image: Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum will mark its 20th anniversary with a three-day celebration from July 24 to 26, 2026, featuring activities, live music, a silent auction, and a visit from the ‘World’s Largest Rubber Duck.’ The museum says gallery admission will be $6 during the weekend, a throwback price intended to reflect the museum’s opening-year rate.
According to the museum’s July newsletter and event page, the anniversary weekend is framed as a milestone celebration of “20 years of great art inspired by water.” MMAM, located in Winona, describes its mission as creating meaningful art experiences that explore the relationship between art and water. The museum’s website lists current exhibitions including ‘Water | Craft,’ ‘Fluid: What is Marine Art, and What Can It Be?,’ ‘The Coast and the Sea: Marine and Maritime Art in America,’ ‘Gordon Coons: Gidibaajimomin / We Tell Stories,’ and ‘Myths & Legends of Minnesota: An Exhibition of the Minnesota Plein Air Collective.’
The centerpiece of the weekend will be an anniversary party on Saturday, July 25, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The museum says the day will include gallery access at the $6 admission rate, Big Duck Bingo in the galleries, a silent auction, a puppet show with Dr. Bob, food and beverages for purchase, cocktails from La Crosse Distilling Co., and happy hour with live music by The Beavers. The museum also plans birthday treats and remarks during a 1 p.m. program in the MMAM gardens.
The museum has released a detailed schedule for the Saturday program that includes remarks from a range of community leaders and museum figures. Listed participants include MMAM Development Director Mike Linnemann, Executive Director Scott Pollock, Minnesota State Arts Board Executive Director Sue Gens, Winona elected officials including Mayor Scott Sherman and City Council Member Steve Young, and a group of current and former leaders connected to the museum and local institutions. The museum also notes a complimentary shuttle service on Saturday if its parking lot reaches capacity, with overflow parking directed to the Fastenal lot in Winona.
The ‘World’s Largest Rubber Duck’ will appear on MMAM’s grounds throughout the weekend, from Friday, July 24, through Sunday, July 26, with daily hours listed as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum says the installation will serve as a photo backdrop and family attraction, and that visiting the duck outdoors will be free. A Saturday schedule also lists a duck pull fundraising game and other family activities across the grounds.
The anniversary programming arrives alongside other summer and fall offerings at the museum, but the museum has also tied the weekend to one of its current exhibitions. A related scavenger hunt running from July 20 to 24 is described as being inspired by ‘Splish, Splash, Story: Selections from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art,’ which the newsletter says is on loan and closes July 26 at 5 p.m. The museum describes that exhibition as including original illustrations from 30 artists, among them Eric Carle and E. H. Shepard, bringing together artwork from beloved children’s books spanning more than a century.
