Have you noticed the artwork in the library?
There is artwork throughout the Owen County Public Library that is very much a part of its history, and the history of artists in Owen County, and it is worth taking a moment to view the pieces on display when you visit the library.
Many of the works of art in the library were gifts that date back to the beginning of the library in Owen County. A public library had previously been housed in the two back rooms of the second floor of the Spencer Town Hall. But on January 1 of 1912, an open house was held to welcome the public to the newly built library, funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation (responsible for the funding of libraries all over North America and the world). This building, at 110 East Market Street, now houses the Owen County Heritage and Culture Center.
The celebration of the opening of that new library featured an orchestra that provided music for the afternoon and the evening. Miss Mary Eileen Ahern (who was largely responsible for the development of the library in Spencer, and is somewhat of a legend in the library world) was the guest of honor, and many gifts were presented for the opening of the library that day which were the beginning of the library’s art collection.
Among the gifts the library received that January 1st of 1912, was the concrete Joan of Arc statue presented by the Women’s Club. Joan has survived nearly one hundred and ten years with the library, a move across the square into the present-day library, and countless hugs and kisses from children. She is now situated at the foot of the steps that lead up to the Youth Services department, and for reasons unknown, children seem drawn to her, and can sometimes be seen running down the stairs, and stopping to give the statue a hug or kiss before they pass by.
Samuel Richards was a world-famous artist who was born in Spencer in 1853. He very much desired to go to Munich to study art, and to do so, he raised money from several sponsors, promising a gift of his paintings to each of them. He painted and drew landscapes as well as portraits. His most famous work is Evangeline, which features a scene from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem by that name. The painting was displayed in Munich and Paris, and was for many years, and may still be displayed in the Detroit Museum of Art. He also went to Davos, Switzerland to study, sketch, and paint. Upon his return to the United States he was offered both the Directorship of the Boston Art School and of the Art Department of Stanford University in California. He was a part of the Hoosier School of Artists dedicated to American Impressionism and was a part of the Art movement of Colorado when he died there at the age of 43 from tuberculosis which he had contracted while in Europe. His dear friend James Whitcomb Riley wrote his obituary.
Owen County Public Library has several of Mr. Richards’ works displayed in the library. The Money Changers is displayed on the north wall of the library in a gilded frame. On that opening day for the Spencer library in 1912, it was donated by Mrs. Sallie Hickam. Mrs. Hickam’s father, J.S. Meek was one of the sponsors who had helped send Samuel Richards to Europe, and this painting was the promised ‘thank you’ for his help.
Also on that day, Mrs. Walker Schell donated two watercolors by Samuel Richards. Both are landscapes from Davos, Switzerland. These are currently located in the hearth room, above the shelving next to the stairs.
The Schell family has contributed other paintings to the library as well; we have a painting of Callie Schell, and one of her dog that are both currently displayed in the library vault. Mrs. Walker Schell left a trust fund for the library upon her death for the purpose of purchasing books in memory of her husband’s family.
The charcoal study of a peasant woman of the Tyrolean Alps is very representative of much of Samuel Richards’ work. One critic commented that he never saw such fine work on “beastlier or uglier models.” The peasant woman of the Tyrolean Alps was purchased by the Women’s Club, and at some point, was also donated to the library. It now hangs next to the first-floor study room. Students of the Munich Art School were encouraged to sketch older people and peasants for the interesting lines and creases found in their faces.
On December 2 at 8 pm WTIU/PBS will be airing a special titled “Singing Winds: The Life and Works of T.C. Steele. Their advertisement reads “T.C. Steele was one of the most celebrated American Impressionist painters of his time”.
Like Samuel Richards, T.C. Steele was also from Owen County, born and raised on a farm in Gosport, and he also traveled to Europe to study at some of the world’s top art schools. But he returned home to paint beautiful landscapes of Indiana and the Midwest.
At the top of the stairs in the library, encased in a secure, acrylic case, professionally hung where it is for both security and preservation purposes, is T.C. Steele’s painting: “Entrance to a Park.”
One of the library’s board members, a T.G. Pierson, paid a visit to Mr. Steele at his studio one day in 1916, and persuaded him to send 20 of his paintings to the Spencer Library to be displayed for a weeks’ exhibition. Further, he convinced him to let the library choose one of the paintings to purchase at half the price he was asking. The library chose “Entrance to a Park” and paid just $150 for it. The library last had the painting appraised in 1989. The value of the painting had sky-rocketed by that time.
For more information about T.C. Steele, you might also want to visit the T. C. Steele State Historic Site, located in Brown County, between Bloomington and Nashville, Indiana.
We hope that knowing the stories behind the artwork in the library and knowing that these artists are people from Owen County, will continue to inspire our patrons who have artistic talent to continue to develop their talents and share their creations with the public. Stay tuned as we delve into more OCPL artwork next week!
This article originally appeared on Evening World: Have you noticed the artwork in the library?
