Charter members of the Prairie Print Makers

The Prairie Print Makers was a society of print artists and collectors headquartered in Wichita Kansas and active from 1930 to 1966. Formed by a group of Kansas artists, its objective was "to further the interest of both artists and laymen in printmaking and collecting". Membership was by invitation only and consisted of active artists who paid only $1 per year, and associates who paid $5 per year. A third category of free honorary membership was conferred by the governing board to those who contributed to the cause of print making and collecting.

Two principal activities were employed to achieve the society's goals. First, an artist member was commissioned each year to produce a print, typically limited to an edition of 200, solely for distribution to the associate membership. Second, the society sponsored annual sales exhibitions of new works by society artists. These were sent to schools, social clubs, museums, art clubs, universities, and libraries. A collection of available prints went to the east and south, the west (including Hawaii), and the mid-west, with a fourth set held in reserve to meet demand. The prints from these shows were purposely priced low, from 3 to 15 dollars, "so that the public may enjoy the opportunity to purchase these excellent specimens of American art for personal use or gifts".[1]

The Prairie Print Makers group was modeled on The Chicago Society of Etchers, the Society of American Etchers, and Print Makers of California. It was meant to complement and augment such older societies whose memberships were full and who focused only on intaglio prints. Like its California counterpart, the Prairie Print Makers embraced not just etchings, but lithographs, wood engravings, woodcuts, and linoleum cuts as well.

Though membership expanded well outside the original mid-west origins, much of the art produced for the society is in the regionalist tradition, featuring serene scenes of small towns, farms and rural landscapes of the mid-west. Presentation prints were to be produced "in the realist tradition of observable life" and must "reflect the tradition and art of printmaking itself".[1]

History

After a year of planning, the Prairie Print Makers society formally began on December 28, 1930. Eight artists traveled to Lindsborg, Kansas at the invitation of C. A. Seward to meet with him in the studio of Birger Sandzen to mark the occasion. The charter members were Leo Courtney (president), Charles Capps (vice-president), C. A. Seward (secretary-treasurer), Lloyd Foltz, Clarence Hotvedt, Arthur W. Hall, Norma Bassett Hall, Herschel Logan, Edmund Kopietz, and Birger Sandzén. They were joined by Carl Smalley, an art and book dealer, and close friend of Seward and Sandzén. Artist William Dickerson from Wichita was the first artist nominated to join the fledgling organization. Carl Smalley was awarded the first honorary membership.

The annual report for 1935-36 shows considerable growth in the first four years -- over 100 associate members, 47 artists from twenty-two states, and exhibitions of 90 prints held at thirty-one venues.[2][3] Both membership and the society's reputation continued to grow, eventually including over 100 artist members,[4] including prominent names like John Taylor Arms, John Steuart Curry, Clare Leighton, Stow Wengenroth, Luigi Lucioni, Frances Gearhart, and Gene Kloss.

By the 1960s, the society was struggling to maintain its initial spirit. There was greater interest in more progressive art, and most founding artists were dead or no longer active. Art from all across the country had become more accessible to the public not only through such societies, but through art fairs, museums and galleries. The last presentation print was produced and the last exhibitions circulated in 1965. The final decision to disband the society came with the retirement of James Swann, secretary-treasurer for 19 years. What remained in the treasury was used to finance an annual C. A. Seward Memorial Purchase Prize for the Wichita Art Association. The final communication to members was dated July 27, 1966.

Presentation Prints

YearArtistPrint titleType
1931Birger SandzenA Kansas Creeklithograph
1932Arthur William HallStone Bridge in Winterdrypoint
1933Levon WestThe Prairie Rideretching
1934Ernest WatsonWoodbinelinocut
1935Lloyd C. FoltzOzark Valleyetching
1936C. A. SewardAdobe Village--New Mexicolithograph
1937William-Auerbach LevyJobetching
1938Charles CappsMexican Barber Shopaquatint
1939Alfred HuttyLoblolly Pinesdrypoint
1940Stow WengenrothNew England Village, Castine, Mainelithograph
1941Doel ReedSpringaquatint
1942William J. DickersonChurch at Canyoncitolithograph
1943Norma Bassett HallLa Gaude--Francecolor woodcut
1944Cyrus LeRoy BaldridgeSoo Chow Canaldrypoint
1945Gene KlossSouthwestern Summeretching and drypoint
1946Grant ReynardThe Pianistetching
1947Gordon H. GrantHeave and Hauletching
1948James D. HavensCinnamon Fern and Verrycolor woodblock
1949Leslie CopeGoing Homedrypoint
1950Elizabeth SaltonstallGloxiniaslithograph
1951Ted HawkinsSleepy Afternoonetching and aquatint
1952Clare LeightonCorn Pullingwood engraving
1953James SwannWillowdrypoint
1954Agnes TaitOld Friendslithograph
1955Luigi LucioniThemes in Whiteetching
1956Margaret Ann GaugBallerinaetching and aquatint
1957Stow WengenrothThe Far Shore, Ogunquit, Mainelithograph
1958Walter J. PhillipsWaterfall, Lake of the Woodswood engraving
1959Robert von NeumannFishing Off the Maine Coastlithograph
1960Maurice BebbBreasted Nuthatchcolor etching
1961Leo MeissnerTidal Surgewood engraving
1962Lloyd C. FoltzGhost Townlithograph
1964Arthur William HallLake Biwadrypoint
1965Charles CappsIdyl of New Mexicoetching and aquatint

Sources

  • North, Bill, Elizabeth Seaton, and Karal Ann Marling. David Conrads and Pamela Evans, editors. The Prairie Print Makers: An Exhibition. Kansas City, Missouri : ExhibitsUSA, Mid-America Arts Alliance, 2001. Print.
  • Czestochowski, Joseph S, and James Swann. James Swann: In Quest of a Printmaker : with Presentation Prints of the Chicago Society of Etchers, Prairie Print Makers, and the Woodcut Society. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 1990. Print. (Includes images of all presentation prints)
  • Hotvedt, Steve. "Chapter 15: The Prairie Print Makers 1930-1966" C.A. Hotvedt, Prairie Print Maker, October, 2020
  • Kansas Historical Society. Kansapedia : Prairie Print Makers Prints
  • North, Cori S. In the Center of It All : 90 Years of the Prairie Print Makers. Lindsborg, Kansas : The Birger Sandzén Memorial Foundation, 2020.
  • O'Neill, Barbara T, George C. Foreman, and Howard W. Ellington. The Prairie Print Makers. Wichita, Kansas: 1984. Print.
  • Wichita State University, University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives. C. A. Seward and Prairie Print Makers Collection

References

  1. 1 2 O'Neill, Barbara Thompson; Foreman, George C. (1981). The Prairie Print Makers. Wichita, Kansas: Gallery Ellington.
  2. North, Cori Sherman (2020). In the Center of It All: 90 Years of the Prairie Print Makers (PDF). Lindsborg, Kansas: The Birger Sandzén Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  3. "Wichita Art Museum, Prairie Print Makers".
  4. "Kansas Stories: Kansas Humanities Council".

A collection of Prairie Print Maker artists' works can be found at the Wichita Art Museum

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