Getting to Work

This article in the Mobridge Tribune mirrors the importance afforded to these murals by many of the town's residents.

First frost viewed from our host home in Glenham, SD

With the oncoming chill of northern air, our host longitude reminds us of our itinerant status here in Mobridge. As veteran Midwesterners versed in the skill of thrift, we quickly swap-out our t-shirts for soft, western flannels at the local MMA thrift store and resume our work.

 

 

 

Lingering gulls wait to greet us each morning as we head into town.

The skies are now increasingly criss-crossed by flying V's  of migrating geese, squadrons of pelicans, nearly astral sieges of meandering Sandhill cranes, and towards evening, troops of songbirds gliding invisible overhead.

Much like the changing of seasons, our efforts on Howe's Mobridge murals have also shifted gears. The phases of research and preparation now lead us into the more tangible work of restoration.

When we first encountered Howe’s Mobridge murals, they were muted, distorted, cracked, and thickly caked with several decades of dust and dirt. Even as compromised objects, these seventy two year old murals remain relevant and vital and we are reminded of this each day as visitors stop in to share stories about the history of the murals, the area, and the artist. 

For us, it is an honor to play a small role in the re-saturation of these pictorial narratives.

 

Close up view of "Fool Soldier Rescue" prior to restoration.

Amber compares color swatches on "Treaty Making".

Decades ago, the skies of the the murals had been over-painted with a vibrant blue color, by an artist other than Oscar Howe. The yellowing which can be seen in the rough patches underneath the blue results from a lacquer-based floor varnish applied at some time after Howe's original painting and prior to the overpainting of the sky.


 

 

With the help of Dr. Nowosielska, we reach back through layers of over-painting to discover the original paint applied by Howe in 1942. What we find beneath, in the case of the skies, is a much subtler gradient of colors.  Muralist Amber Hansen (pictured right) is testing swatches against small revealed window of Howe's original paint. Once the original color has been matched, a small batch of paint is mixed for the desired area.

Each of the five, north-wall skies required as many as nine custom mixed color variations.

Mix master Nicholas creating and comparing color swatches.

Mapping the colors.

 The paint mixing station in all of its glory.

Using a gentle touch, Mobridge resident, Dennis Mosier removes bolts from a formerly attached basketball hoop on the Fool Soldier Rescue mural panel. Mosier and his masonry expertise were a great aid to the project.

Working together, Dennis and Dr. Nowosilska developed an aggregate mixture to patch holes left over from the basketball hoops. The mixture was a special recipe whose details shall never be revealed!

Our good friend Dr. Margaret Nowosielska working some of her conservation magic in an effort to remove layers of color-distorting varnish from the murals surface.

Amber begins the long awaited clouds for Sacajawea and Lewis and Clark

Nicholas filling paint losses in "Christian Services".

Nicholas on the second tier of our three story scaffolding. The Mobridge murals exceed 24' in height. 

Amber working on the frieze originally designed and painted by the Saul brothers of Fort Thompson, SD.

Having conducted months of research on the artist, the region, and the murals, we set up an info sharing table so that curious visitors can indulge in the greater narrative of the murals. Many residents added to the info table with images and articles  from their own collections.

Klein Museum currator: Diane Kindt.

The city of Mobridge and the kind  people that call it home have become increasingly familiar as we find ourselves developing rich relationships with many of the towns residents who have become vital to our daily schedule. From the progressive politics of the local coffee shop to our dear friends in Wakpala and the abundant offerings from Diane Kindt at the local historical museum, it is very warming to see how quickly the town of Mobridge has woven us into the greater tapestry of their town-story. Likewise,  as visitors embracing our itinerant residence within the region, we whole-heartedly slip-stich Mobridge into the greater narrative of our own ongoing tale.

Stay tuned for our next post where we promise to have less words and more beautiful images!

The Mobridge Murals

The Mobridge Murals 

            The Mobridge murals were initially made possible through the infamous New Deal Era's WPA (Works Progress Administration) program. This program was designed as a work-relief stimulus initiative to stoke the American economy during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Rather than straight doling out funds and awaiting a new economic day, the new deal proposed that the government actively invest in its people by creating jobs in many different sectors, including the arts!

WPA Poster artist: unkown

Even though many of the WPA programs were geared towards the development of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and buildings, a few programs situated under the Federal Project Number One were designed to engage visual artists, thespians, historians, musicians and writers. One such program was the South Dakota chapter of the  Federal Arts Program headed by muralist Andre Boratko.

WPA Poster  artist: unknown

Although time would eventually reveal Oscar Howe as the designer and painter of the Mobridge murals he was not the WPA's initial pick for the gig!

Bill Lackey of Faith, South Dakota was first awarded the job but could not complete the task. Soon after, the opportunity came to Oscar Howe and he took it. The preliminary drawings made by Howe for each of the murals can be viewed here.  Joining Howe in the endeavor would be three assistants: Miss Ruth Swan of Rapid City, SD, Paul Kean of Mitchell, SD and Paul Mountain of White River, SD. Working along side Howe and his assistants were the Saul brothers; John and Tom Saul of Forth Thompson, SD. The brothers were well regarded for their geometric design work and created a number of complex and aesthetically appealing  designs to compliment Howe's Mobridge murals.

 

North wall murals

"HISTORY ALONG THE MISSOURI"  

 Audio Mural Tour by Kevin Locke

Sakakawea, far left panel, north wall. 16'x16'

Treaty Making, 2nd panel from left, north wall. 16'x16'

Christian Services, middle panel, north wall 16'x16' 

Fool Soldier Rescue, 2nd from right, north wall 16'x16' 

Retreat, right side, north wall 10'x16' 

These five murals shown above (in their pre-resoration state) line the north wall of the Scherr-Howe auditorium titled "History along the Missouri".  There are five additional panels on the south wall that were painted by Howe during the same time titled "Ceremonies of the Sioux" that can be viewed here. The south wall panels are currently being restored by Conservationist Dr. Margaret Nowosielska.

Elof Wedin "Return From the Fields" 1938 Mobridge, SD

Heading two blocks north down Mobridge's Mainstreet, we find the town post office and in it a WPA  mural  by the Swedish born WPA artist Elof Wedin. Wedin's mural "Return from the Fields" is of a slightly earlier vintage (1938) than Howe's. Upon close inspection  we see that Wedin sets his narrative within the same unmistakable landscape as Howe's north wall murals. The cast of players however look quite different. For this mural, Wedin's subject is the immigrant farmer who came to colonize/settle this land. When comparing the works of Wedin and Howe we are offered glimpses into two separate cultural narratives of  a shared place. 

Looking at Wedin's mural, we are reminded of many other WPA murals we've seen during our travels throughout the mid-west as part of the Mid America Mural Project. In many places the story depicted is of the people who immigrated to this land and the associated events that facilitated their settlement, such as the Land Run, Oregon Trail, Lewis and Clark expedition, railroad, ect.  

As artists approaching the restoration of these murals, we are very interested in the historical and contemporary relevance of the stories/histories they illuminate. We are also interested in, as our friend and mentor muralist Dave Loewenstein would put it: "Whose histories are missing?" 

"Sun Dance" south wall panel 1 of 5 from "Ceremonies of the Sioux"  borders shown were created by Tom and John Saul, the Saul brothers of Fort Thompson  (all of the murals have similar bracketing pillars) 16'x16' 1942

Introduction to the murals by Kevin Locke:

Interview: Audio Mural Tour

Interviewer: Christine Goldsmith

Interviewee: Kevin Locke

transcription: Nicholas Ward

"These kinds of things are not expressed. The traditional practices were actively repressed, as was the language. The Federal edicts* were still enforced outlawing any outward practice of ceremonies. It is really remarkable, really heroic that Howe was able to stand out in a public forum and depict all of these things (religious ceremonies) because all of these ceremonies were kept underground and people would only practice them in secret. The overall theme of the general society was that all of this was dead all of it was destined for extinction; it had no place and was totally irrelevant to modern society.

To me what Oscar Howe was able to do was to look beyond the general feeling and to see the universal themes and then highlight these universal themes. All peoples have a gift to bring into the world; we all have something valid and valuable to contribute towards an emerging global civilization. When I look at Howe’s work I can see that he really did have this overarching drive to bring out all of this cultural heritage. Those people like Howe’s grandparents and that generation are no longer alive. Even in Howe’s time he grew up with people born in the pre-reservation days. Those people had strong prayer and vision and hopes and dreams and Mr. Howe has kept that alive. In the murals today those prayers are still speaking loudly. Mr. Howe gave voice to it through his work, through his gift.

There were a lot of broken people back then (when Howe was a child) lots of kids were taken from their homes and put into boarding schools. A lot of families, generations were totally disrupted. The ramifications of that can be seen today.

That was trauma. Before that in the 1800’s there was a lot of warfare. The policy towards Native Americans was extermination. When Oscar Howe was born, throughout much of his life virulent racism and Jim Crow laws were still very much in place. So he lived through that.

Howe is helping us to realize that we really do have something beautiful and vital to contribute in the world today. We bring with us strong roots weather we are German, Norwegian or Dakota we bring with us the good things from our ancestors, our grandparents. We are in a state currently in the world today where we need to draw from every wellspring of strength that we can.

In Mobridge we have Germans and Indians. These are the two most dichotomous populations on the planet. God put us together and said OK turkeys deal with this. It’s the challenge of trying to reconcile diversity to pull something together, in order to do that we have to pull from all of our strengths. Mr. Howe has given us a real strong legacy to enable us to chart a course towards the future.

So often, young people think that the only future they have is to go to an urban area. That may be so but there is a lot of richness here. People have long roots, strong roots, if they haven’t been covered over too much. Around the Missouri river, every creek, every hill, every bend in the river, it all has a story. There is a song for it, a story behind it. Every plant has a use. In the process of modern society things have become so urbanized. People are always sitting in square enclosures, square desks, and square ceiling tiles. They are looking at square screen or looking out of a square window at a square landscape….. We live like that in our homes but yet the big world is right here, we can see the elements, experience the seasons. People are outdoorsy people here so we live in that environment."

- Kevin locke.

*Many of the traditional Lakota ceremonies were outlawed up until the American Indian Religious Freedoms Act of 1978. In Canada laws against the Sundance and other religious practices were nullified twenty-seven years ealier in 1951. 

If the task of designing and painting these murals had fallen to Bill Lackey or another WPA muralist, certainly the resulting murals and their subjects would differ from Howe's. What effect would that have on the way the people of this place think about their history today and the stories that are shared? Without this specific contribution of Howe and others like him with voices vested within the stories of the native people of this place, how would this important history and its stories be perpetuated? What role does public art play in the makeup of our sense of identity and awareness as people in a place?

For those interested in learning more about the murals, Christine Goldsmith has created a beautiful blog site hosting an audio tour by renown Lakota historian, flautist, Hoopdancer and friend to Oscar Howe, Kevin Locke.  In 2013 Mobridge hosted the play "On the Missouri: November 1862" an adaptation based on the story of the Fool Soldier Rescue. The play was written by Minnesota playwright Louise Bormann and was performed in the Scherr-Howe Arena in 2013.  For visitors to Mobrige the Mobridge Chamber of Commcerce offers a guided tour of the murals which we highly suggest. 

stay tuned for our next post!







 

The Road to Mobridge

Photo : Loewenstein

It’s a ten hour trek to reach Mobridge, SD. We start out heading north from our current home in Lawrence, Kansas. As we pull out of town the tomatoes are ripe and dense; some of the heirloom types are now turning dark with color, surely following the code of some old family program.

Five hours in, we spend the night in Canton South Dakota; a small town just a stones throw from I-29 in South Eastern South Dakota. Getting back on the road the next morning I stop to read a historical roadside marker that I have driven past many times.-

I didn’t grow up in Canton and never lived there, nor do I know to any significant degree the history of its early days. Looking to the right of this road sign and taking in the adjacent golf course I get the sense that this small town's quiet, sub-urban skin is only a few decades thick. I sense that there are chapters of this place's history that would not lull a child to sleep. The tomatoes here are days away from ripe.

Further North

Coming over a small hill, on South Dakota’s asphalt artery (I-90) we chance to see the silhouette of a bull, sharp against the overexposed mid-day sky. Getting closer we realize that this bull is gargantuan in scale and closer still we spot other, more colorful sculptures. Of course, we must stop.

  Welcome to Porter's Sculpture Park

Artist: Wayne Porter and his dashing green apparel   Photo : Ward

Upon arrival we were surprised to find the artist present. We notice something peculiar about his eyes.  From within a small shed at the entrance of the park, Wayne Porter (the creator of the parks attraction's) greets us along with his companion; a friendly albino dog.

The Albino "Bambino"  Photo : Ward

 

Danger lurks as we near the parks entrance Nicholas (pictured here), shrieks in terror as he meets one of Buzzard row's inhabitants; a reincarnated politician ready to pick the bones of its constituents
 Photo : Hansen

Walking us through the two acre menagerie, Wayne shares with us the secrets of his fantastic collection. Many of the sculptures are accompanied by signs that contain poems, parables or boast messages of warning that Wayne enthusiastically explains in riddled and thoughtful ways. 

"Ballerina"
"She scrubs the front rows of the theatre late at night, while the
ballerinas practice. When the ballerinas leave, she gets up and
dances. She wants to be a ballerina. It is all about how we
assemble our lives by the decisions we make. Every choice we
make becomes a piece of our lives as well as casts away other
choices. Everything is random" Photo : Ward

"The Red Hammer"

"Anything worth building may break a few hammers."

"Wise Man"

Like the three wise monkeys he hears no evil, speaks no evil and sees no evil. In order to be wise one first must be mangled."

Spending far too long (really just long enough) walking around this park we are now set to arrive in Mobridge two hours later than anticipated, but it is well worth it. Before departing, Amber turns a tune for Wayne and his Albino compadre on her music box eyeball helmet and we were on the road again. It is in our expert opinion that Wayne Porter is a South Dakota treasure and visionary artist. (Stay tuned folks, as there may be a future video collaboration in the works!)

"Eyeball song"  photo : Ward

With a fresh wind in our sails  
we push further north! As the light begins to fade we see that the landscape too is changing. Shimmering new grain bins stand out as lonely blips on a long, running, flat-line horizon. John Cage's "4’33"; comes to mind as I think of this landscape. Without the mountains, trees or crescendos of a busy landscape our gaze is quieted and we begin to see the details of the prairie, the waiving grass, the subtle shifts in the color as the horizon meets the sky.

"Blips on the Map"  Photo : Hansen

The Yield is Up

We notice in each town we pass the presence of new grain storage bins that accompany the old existing bins. along with these many more hyphenate the spaces in between towns. Newly laid tracks support the trains that come to disperse the bounty of this land. In contrast to the agricultural surplus, that will literally pile up beside these bins during harvest season, the population of this area is blighted. Generating more capital per acre than ever before, many of the towns in this area are experiencing shrinking infrastructure and dwindling population.

Newly constructed grain bins.  Photo : Hansen

We also notice a gradual increase in the presence of mammoth, round bails of hay that lay scattered in the passing fields. As we travel further north they multiply into an immense heard, and for a moment, I think of them this way. Squinting and imagining a time when, similar in scale and form, millions of buffalo roamed in their place. I wonder what that would have looked like, to see them, so dense in this landscape. Much like you and everyone else now living, I will not know.

"Modern Buffalo" Photo : Hansen

Arrival

Late in the evening we arrive in the small town of Glenham, SD, just six miles east of Mobridge. Our gracious host Brian Liedtke greets us and doesn’t seem to mind that we are a few hours later than expected. The air here is cooler than in Kansas and the tomatoes have 2 weeks to go. Looking out into the night, we listen as the crickets, coyotes and cows commune in what we optimistically imagine is our welcome to this region.

A Mobridge evening sky.  Photo : Ward

This is not a backdrop... or is it!

Up next, drumroll........... The Mobridge Murals!

MEETING THE LAND

OSCAR HOWE 

MURAL RESTORATION PROJECT

Retreat 10'x16' mural from the Scherr Howe Arena.  Oscar Howe 1941

Welcome to the Oscar Howe mural restoration project.  We (Nicholas Ward and Amber Hansen) have created this blog to chronicle the restoration of ten WPA murals housed within the Scherr-Howe arena, located in the heart of Mobridge. In this blog, we will be sharing information about Oscar Howe, the mural restoration process and other discoveries from our explorations into the areas and histories surrounding Mobridge!

 We begin our story in the north central South Dakota town of Mobridge, a lake-side community of roughly 3,500 residents. On the west and southern ends, the land is defined by Lake Oahe, a core of engineers creation c.1948-1962. It is a tamed and compartmentalized remnant of North America's long and meandering leviathan, also known as, the grand Missouri River.

Traveling west to the edge of town on highway US-12 we encounter a great truss bridge spanning the nearly mile-long gap over lake Oahe. In crossing this bridge we are transported to another time (literally we move from central to mountain time) and into Standing Rock Reservation, the land of another nation.

Looking to the east or north from town, one feels swaddled amongst the many woven mounds of rich prairie earth, extending up for hundreds of feet to form the beautiful, bulbous, seemingly endless landscape of this seldom spoken of and under-celebrated north-central, South Dakota region.

landscape 3 miles east of Mobridge facing to the south                                                                           photo: NicholasWard

                                                                                                                    

Today we celebrated the arrival of our project collaborator Dr. Margaret Nowosielska, a seasoned Dr. of Art Conservation from the Conservation Center in Chicago. Tomorrow we begin our work on the Howe murals. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears perked for our next post, The Road to Mobridge!