- City:
- Enid, OK
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Arts Programs, Work Relief Programs, Federal Arts Project (FAP), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1935
- Completed:
- 1936
- Artist:
- Ruth Monro Augur
Description
This courthouse contains a series of oil murals depicting the region in the 19th century. The murals were painted by Ruth Monro Augur under the auspices of the WPAs Federal Art Program:
“Ruth Munro[sic] Augur, nationally known muralist, was forced on WPA rolls during the Depression because her commissions fell off so badly. She worked for $57.50 a month while painting the murals.
She officially began on Dec. 1, 1935, but a great deal of tedious research was necessary before the artist could begin to apply paint to the canvas. Every detail had to be correct and the artist was handicapped by having to reproduce a land and a people that no longer existed except in history books and the minds of a few old settlers.
She estimated that she spent the equivalent of 15 to 16 months in research before she started painting and total time spent in research and painting was three years.
The murals cover 1,136 square feet. To get some idea of the tremendous amount of labor and materials that were used in painting the murals, Miss Augur used 36 pounds of white paint on the murals and 20 pounds of combined colors.
Another unique and remarkable feature is the oil paints that were used were manufactured from a single chemical base, regardless of color. This was done in order to avoid fading and discoloration of the murals in years to come, and according to Miss Augur, the colors will be as bright 200 years from now as they are today.” (https://www.visitenid.org)
Source notes
Originally posted in the New Deal Art Registry: https://www.newdealartregistry.org/ https://www.visitenid.org/visitors/things-to-do/cultural-heritage/m.directory/82/view/19At this Location:
Site Details
Contribute to this Site
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.
Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site
Doing research for a friend, I discovered her Great Grandfather, Pascal HANKS had one of his paintings hanging in the courthouse. Is that painting still there. She is planning a trip this summer and I would like to tell her about the painting.
Please let me know one wY or the other.
Thank You
We wish we knew! For this info, you need to contact the courthouse directly.