Stone City art colony
Encyclopedia
The Stone City Art Colony was an art colony
founded by Edward Rowan, Adrian Dornbush, and Grant Wood
. The colony gathered on the John A. Green Estate
in Stone City, Iowa
during the summers of 1932 and 1933.
, Adrian Dornbush, former director of the Flint Institute of Art and a Little Gallery art instructor, and famous local artist Grant Wood
. Rowan was the primary facilitator of the creation of the colony, and his commitment to the project led the Carnegie Foundation
to invest $1000 in the colony’s creation.
The Stone City Art Colony was meant as an alternative to more established artist colonies in Woodstock and Santa Fe, allowing artists in the Midwest to have an easily accessible site for residency. Residents lived in ice house wagons that they decorated themselves. Wood later employed many of the artists at the colony in the Public Works of Art Project
(later named Civil Works Administration
) which he administered for the state of Iowa, producing a large number of Depression Era murals (thanks to the New Deal
) that still decorate many post offices and public buildings in Iowa.
The art colony was always plagued by financial difficulties; 1933 was its final summer and it was already suffering financial hardships even before opening for the year. When it did close that fall, its assets were sold off to pay its debts. Even though Wood and the other faculty taught there free of charge, the colony had never become financially self-sustaining.
Art colony
right|300px|thumb|Artist houses in [[Montsalvat]] near [[Melbourne, Australia]].An art colony or artists' colony is a place where creative practitioners live and interact with one another. Artists are often invited or selected through a formal process, for a residency from a few weeks to over a year...
founded by Edward Rowan, Adrian Dornbush, and Grant Wood
Grant Wood
Grant DeVolson Wood was an American painter, born four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century.- Life and career :His family moved to Cedar Rapids after his...
. The colony gathered on the John A. Green Estate
John A. Green Estate
The John A. Green Estate is a historic property in Stone City, Iowa, United States. The estate covers of land. The buildings were constructed of Anamosa Limestone quarried from John Green's own local business. The estate was placed on the U.S...
in Stone City, Iowa
Stone City, Iowa
Stone City is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Stone City began as a company town for the workers of the local quarries. Stone City is known for its Anamosa Limestone quarries, historic limestone architecture, and 1930's art colony...
during the summers of 1932 and 1933.
History
The colony was started by Edward Rowan, director of the Little Gallery in Cedar Rapids, IowaCedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
, Adrian Dornbush, former director of the Flint Institute of Art and a Little Gallery art instructor, and famous local artist Grant Wood
Grant Wood
Grant DeVolson Wood was an American painter, born four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century.- Life and career :His family moved to Cedar Rapids after his...
. Rowan was the primary facilitator of the creation of the colony, and his commitment to the project led the Carnegie Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Carnegie Corporation of New York, which was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 "to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding," is one of the oldest, largest and most influential of American foundations...
to invest $1000 in the colony’s creation.
The Stone City Art Colony was meant as an alternative to more established artist colonies in Woodstock and Santa Fe, allowing artists in the Midwest to have an easily accessible site for residency. Residents lived in ice house wagons that they decorated themselves. Wood later employed many of the artists at the colony in the Public Works of Art Project
Public Works of Art Project
The Public Works of Art Project was a program to employ artists, as part of the New Deal, during the Great Depression. It was the first such program, running from December 1933 to June 1934...
(later named Civil Works Administration
Civil Works Administration
The Civil Works Administration was established by the New Deal during the Great Depression to create manual labor jobs for millions of unemployed. The jobs were merely temporary, for the duration of the hard winter. Harry L. Hopkins was put in charge of the organization. President Franklin D...
) which he administered for the state of Iowa, producing a large number of Depression Era murals (thanks to the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
) that still decorate many post offices and public buildings in Iowa.
The art colony was always plagued by financial difficulties; 1933 was its final summer and it was already suffering financial hardships even before opening for the year. When it did close that fall, its assets were sold off to pay its debts. Even though Wood and the other faculty taught there free of charge, the colony had never become financially self-sustaining.
Art Colony Faculty
- Adrian Dornbush, painting instructor and colony director
- Edward Rowan, lecturer and consultant for the colony
- Grant WoodGrant WoodGrant DeVolson Wood was an American painter, born four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century.- Life and career :His family moved to Cedar Rapids after his...
, advanced painting instructor
- Arnold Pyle, framing designer and instructor
- David McCosh, painting and lithography instructor
- Francis ChapinFrancis ChapinFrancis W. Chapin was an American artist. His works included both watercolors and oil paintings of landscapes and portraits....
, lithography
- Florence Sprague, sculpture instructor
- Marvin ConeMarvin ConeMarvin Dorwart Cone was an American painter in the regionalist style.He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and lived there most of his life. He graduated from Washington High School in 1910. Cone attended college and traveled to Paris with his contemporary and high-school friend, Grant Wood...
, figure drawing instructor
Notable Art Colony Students
- Lee AllenLee Allen (artist)Lee Allen , born Edwin Lee Allen, was an American Regionalist painter, a WPA muralist, and a medical illustrator and ocularist.-Early years:...
(1910 - 2006) - Isabel BloomIsabel BloomIsabel Bloom was an artist who was born Isabel Scherer in Galveston, Texas, and raised in Davenport, Iowa. She learned sculpture while studying at the Stone City Art Colony in central Iowa under Florence Sprague...
(1908 - 2001) - Conger MetcalfConger MetcalfConger Metcalf, was an American painter.He was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and died in Boston, Massachusetts. Metcalf began his art studies in 1932 at the Iowa Stone City Art Colony, headed by American Regionalist painter Grant Wood. Metcalf continued his studies at Coe College in Cedar Rapids...
(1914 - 1998) - Daniel RhodesDaniel RhodesDaniel Rhodes was an American ceramic artist, sculptor, author and educator. During the twenty-five years that he was on the faculty at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, in Alfred, New York , he built an international reputation as a potter, sculptor and authority on...
(1911 - 1989)