- City:
- Ames, IA
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Arts Programs, Work Relief Programs, Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), Works Progress Administration (WPA), National Youth Administration (NYA)
- Started:
- 1934
- Completed:
- 1936
- Artist:
- Grant Wood
Description
“The murals in the Grant Wood Heritage Area and on the walls of the staircase leading to the Upper Lobby of the original building are without doubt the major artistic feature of the Iowa State University Library.” These murals by Grant Wood can be divided into two main sets: eight panels of the Other Arts Follow mural were painted under the PWAP in 1934; the three panels referred to as “Breaking the Prairie” were painted two years later under the WPA/NYA.
“The eight panels of the Other Arts Follow mural reflect the divisions of Iowa State College at the time: Veterinary Medicine, Farm Crops, Animal Husbandry, Home Economics, Ceramics and Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Aeronautical and Civil Engineering.”
Source notes
https://www.lib.iastate.edu/info/6292 https://www.lib.iastate.edu/info/6885 https://newdealartregistry.org/renderartworks/ParksLibray/Ames/IA/Site originally submitted by Donald G. Browne on February 22, 2014.
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Laura Barta
It’s worth noting that Grant Wood worked with artists to paint this mural, including my grandfather Howard Cecil Johnson. His papers included photos of the models used to paint the figures, which are with the ISU archives.