Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project

Jazz bassist and composer Rufus Reid will be performing "Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project" along with his large jazz ensemble at Hancher Auditorium on Saturday, October 13, 2018. Reid's composition was inspired by the sculptural work of artist Elizabeth Catlett [1915-2012], an African American woman who in 1940 was among the first three students to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa. Catlett's thesis advisor was Grant Wood. A video interview with Catlett conducted toward the end of her life can be viewed at the National Visionary Leadership Project.

Reid is currently undertaking a short residency at the University of Iowa as an Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor.

Grant Wood at 125

Today is the 125th anniversary of the birth of artist Grant Wood [1891-1942]. Pictured above is the house in Eldon, Iowa that is portrayed in the background of his most famous painting, American Gothic. An iconic work that has been parodied countless times since its execution in 1930, Wood based the taciturn farm couple on his own sister and dentist. The painting won a bronze medal in a competition sponsored by the Art Institute of Chicago, where it has remained as part of their permanent collection.

Further information on Grant Wood can be found in previous Common Curator posts: Grant Wood Sketchbook Returns to Figge Art Museum and 120th Anniversary of Grant Wood's Birth.

Grant Wood Sketchbook Returns to Figge Art Museum

Missing for several decades, a sketchbook by world-renowned Iowa artist Grant Wood [1891-1942] was recently reclaimed by the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. Part of a collection acquired in 1965 from Wood's sister, Nan Wood Graham, the sketchbook contains notes and plans for the stained glass window he designed for the Veterans Memorial Building in Cedar Rapids in 1928.

The window depicts soldiers in privates' uniforms from the six major U.S. wars up to that time: the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and the First World War; the soldiers are surmounted by a large female figure said to represent the Republic. To oversee the fabrication of the window directly, Wood travelled to Munich, Germany, one of several trips to Europe he made early in his career.

The recovered sketchbook is thought to have been stolen shortly after its acquisition by the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery, the Figge's predecessor. Andrew Wallace, the Figge's current Manager of Collections and Exhibitions, was instrumental in researching the loss of the sketchbook and in negotiating its return after it was slated for auction. More information on this fortunate turn of events can be found in an article in the Quad-City Times.

Much of Grant Wood's personal archive has been digitized. The University of Iowa hosts the Figge Art Museum Grant Wood Digital Collection and several dozen images have been digitized by the Archives of American Art in their Grant Wood Collection, 1930-1983.

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is home to the world's largest collection of Grant Wood artwork, and features the Grant Wood Gallery. Curious individuals can discover more about Wood's life and times by visiting stops along Iowa's Grant Wood Trail. American Gothic, Wood's iconic masterpiece painted in 1930, is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago.

Note: Top image is from the Quad-City Times; bottom image is from the Veterans Memorial Building. A previous Common Curator post of related interest is the 120th Anniversary of Grant Wood's Birth.

120th Anniversary of Grant Wood's Birth

The 120th anniversary of the birth of artist Grant Wood [1891-1941] is today; born in Anamosa, Iowa on February 13, 1891, Wood died one day short of age 51 in Iowa City, where he had become a professor of art at the University of Iowa. Best known for "American Gothic (1930)," Wood is still widely admired and studied, with books such as American Gothic: The Biography of Grant Wood's American Masterpiece and Grant Wood: A Life appearing in recent years.

Although Wood worked successfully in a variety of media, the iconic American Gothic--parodied countless times, as a perfunctory web search will reveal--tends to overwhelm consideration of his work as a whole. The original painting, of course, is best viewed in person at the Art Institute of Chicago, which awarded Wood the Harris Bronze Medal at the 43th Annual Exhibition of American Paintings and Sculptures. American Gothic was also acquired by the Institute, for $300.

As an aside, the Common Curator had the good fortune to have an early solo exhibition of paintings at the Blanden Memorial Art Museum overlap with one featuring Grant Wood (and his contemporary and friend, Marvin Cone; see announcement above). While American Gothic was not then on display--it only rarely leaves Chicago--it was nonetheless a great honor to temporarily share the walls of the museum with Wood.

A memento of Wood's artistry, incidentally, is readily available to all in the form of a U.S. 25-cent piece. The State of Iowa utilized Wood's 1932 painting, Arbor Day, to design its entry in the U.S. state quarters series (below).