Post Office Murals – Vinita OK

Description

The post office contains two sets of three murals each by Randall Davey. The murals were painted in 1941 with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts.

In these murals, Randall Davey portrayed the history of the Cherokee Nation in a highly sympathetic manner. This tribe, one of the “5 Civilized Tribes” had a troubled history including the forced move to Oklahoma on the “Trail of Tears”. Notes on display near the murals explain the historical basis of the works. (Some pictured below).

Randall Davey was a major figure in American painting in the 20th century. He was born in New Jersey and initially studied architecture, but left for New York City in 1907 to study with Robert Henri, then on to the Art Students League. Notably, he was one of the exhibitors at the seminal Armory Show in 1913. He painted with Henri, George Bellows, John Sloan, and many other artists. He moved to Santa Fe in 1919. He is exhibited at many major museums through-out the United States. He died in a car accident driving to California in 1964.