the Pearson Lakes Art Center
tales
from the
iowa great
lakes
This was such a joyful episode to kick off our new season. It's brimming with community, art, and all the shenanigans that come with building something extraordinary. But what kind of an art history podcast would this be if we didn't have pictures?!
We open with a few of The Iowa Great Lakes's earliest paintings that illustrate scenes from The Spirit Lake Massacre. We discussed this event in depth in an episode last season. It gives an enormous amount of context to appreciate these paintings. Some sources we found claim Abbie Gardner Sharpe painted these from memory. Other sources say she commissioned them. Regardless, these paintings were published in her memoir, and she lived at her cabin site for decades. They capture a specific point of view of the Massacre and demonstrate features of the 19th century's Midwest American folk art movement. The landscape overpowers the scenes in these images: tall trees, deep landscapes, and small figures.
As we discussed in our episode, Charles Cumming is probably Iowa's most famous art teacher. (Grant Wood taught painting in Iowa for a few years, but since he's more famous as a painter, we passed the superlative on to Charlie.) Most of Cumming's archives are at The University of Iowa, including his paintings. We have an example of one of his famous Iowa Impressionist paintings below. If you'd like to learn more about him, read his biography and explore his photos on the University of Iowa archive website. Remember to email us leads for the Hotel Orleans painting!
Now, we're moving into the growth of the Pearson Lakes Art Center. You'll also see all the "happening little places" where art flourished in the Iowa Great Lakes: The Smith's Barn, The Little Red Building, and construction progress on the fantastic facilities we have today.
Thank you to the Pearson Lakes Art Center for sharing photos from their archives. Jonathan Reed's book, Erasing Grey, about the history of the Pearson Lakes Art Center is PACKED with more pictures and stories. Pick up your copy of his book Erasing Grey at The Little Red Gift Shop at the Art Center.
episode info
This was such a joyful episode to kick off our new season. It's brimming with community, art, and all the shenanigans that come with building something extraordinary. But what kind of an art history podcast would this be if we didn't have pictures?!
We open with a few of The Iowa Great Lakes's earliest paintings that illustrate scenes from The Spirit Lake Massacre. We discussed this event in depth in an episode last season. It gives an enormous amount of context to appreciate these paintings. Some sources we found claim Abbie Gardner Sharpe painted these from memory. Other sources say she commissioned them. Regardless, these paintings were published in her memoir, and she lived at her cabin site for decades. They capture a specific point of view of the Massacre and demonstrate features of the 19th century's Midwest American folk art movement. The landscape overpowers the scenes in these images: tall trees, deep landscapes, and small figures.
As we discussed in our episode, Charles Cumming is probably Iowa's most famous art teacher. (Grant Wood taught painting in Iowa for a few years, but since he's more famous as a painter, we passed the superlative on to Charlie.) Most of Cumming's archives are at The University of Iowa, including his paintings. We have an example of one of his famous Iowa Impressionist paintings below. If you'd like to learn more about him, read his biography and explore his photos on the University of Iowa archive website. Remember to email us leads for the Hotel Orleans painting!
Now, we're moving into the growth of the Pearson Lakes Art Center. You'll also see all the "happening little places" where art flourished in the Iowa Great Lakes: a contemporary photo of the Seman Chateau, The Smith's Bar, The Little Red Building, and construction progress on the fantastic facilities we have today.
Thank you to the Pearson Lakes Art Center for sharing photos from their archives. And remember: Jonathan Reed's book, Erasing Grey, about the history of the Pearson Lakes Art Center is PACKED with more pictures and stories. Pick up your copy of at The Little Red Gift Gallery at the Art Center.
episode info
- Erasing Gray: The Origin and Story of the Pearson Lakes Art Center by Jonathan Reed
- The Pearson Lakes Art Center archives
- Interviews with Jonathan Reed (Author and Historian), Nancy Cook (former Director of PLAC), Sue Richter (first President of The Okoboji Foundation), Danielle Clouse Gast (Visual Arts Director at The Pearson Lakes Art Center), and Holly Zinn Hample (Education Director at Pearson Lakes Art Center)
- Plan your visit to the Pearson Lakes Art Center and explore classes for all ages.
- Pick up your copy of Jonathan's book at The Little Red Gift Gallery.
- Explore Charles A. Cumming's life and influence on art in the Midwest.
- Watch this walking tour through a curation of the PLAC collection in the Bud Pearson Gallery. This is just a handful of the incredible pieces in the vault!
