Bertrand R. Adams Sites

The Section of Fine Arts-funded oil-on-canvas mural "Lumbering in Arkansas" was painted for the Siloam Springs post office by Bertrand R. Adams in 1940. "Bertrand Adams was commissioned for $600 to create a mural for Siloam Springs, Arkansas as a result of competent work submitted in the Dubuque, Iowa, Section of Fine Arts competition. He had a significant amount of trouble determining his subject matter and the Section critiqued his style and subject more than any other artist that created a mural for Arkansas. Adams, discouraged by these dilemmas, decided to resign from the commission, but was convinced by Rowan to...

"The interior features several important murals in the lobby vestibule. The murals were funded with $2,000 of the original money allotted for construction of the building. Although a competition to select an artist was held, officials intended to select Grant Wood, the famous Iowa painter of "American Gothic," to complete the murals. When Wood did not enter the competition, William E.L. Bunn was selected. The selection was subsequently overturned in favor of a painter named Bertram Adams. As a compromise, both Bunn and Adams, who each studied and worked with Wood and were friends from the University of Iowa, were...