Monet Butler, Pohlman Fellow, "Rediscovering Legacies: Zenobia Brumbaugh Ness"

Rediscovering Legacies: Zenobia Brumbaugh Ness

Monet Butler, Pohlman Fellow

Zenobia Brumbaugh Ness (1876-1943) played an important role at Iowa State College in establishing a national model for arts and culture during the Great Depression.¹ After moving to Ames, Iowa with her husband Henry Ness (1874-1954) in 1923, she was hired as a Home Economics teacher at Iowa State College,² and began a career that lasted until her death in 1943. Zenobia’s story reveals the robust commissioning and collecting of art at Iowa State College during the 1930’s and early 1940’s, a tradition that continues today.

The public art program at Iowa State began during the Great Depression under the direction of Iowa State College’s President Raymond Hughes,³ serving from 1927 to 1936, who envisioned that the arts would enrich and provide intellectual exploration into college curricula. President Hughes appointed the Committee on Art Appreciation at Iowa State College, tasked with incorporating fine arts onto campus and curriculum, and members represented the departments of architectural engineering, landscape architecture, and applied art. One initiative called “Art for Engineers” was funded in part by Iowa State College and, through the efforts of President Hughes, further supported by the Carnegie Foundation. This required course of the Engineering Program was designed to help technical students achieve a well-rounded education. Alongside several faculty, including Christian Petersen, Zenobia⁴ gave lectures on the history of painting for this new curriculum.

In addition to her work on campus, in 1929, she began serving as the superintendent of the Iowa Art Salon, a state-wide art competition showcasing Iowa’s artistic talent.⁵ By inviting out-of-state jurors, Zenobia aimed to further credit the competitive field of Iowa artists.⁶ After each Salon, Zenobia, along with President Hughes (1873-1958) and the Director of the Memorial Union,⁷ hosted the Annual Iowa Artist’s Dinner in the Great Hall at the Memorial Union. This event celebrated the Art Salon winners, engaged alumni, and brought the fine arts to Iowa State’s campus.⁸ Notably, the Artists’ Dinner of 1934 was the backdrop for the unveiling of Grant Wood’s murals “When Tillage Begins, Other Arts Will Follow.” These murals were a joint commission by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) and Iowa State College.⁹ By coordinating the presentation of murals at the Artist’s Dinner, she ensured that the PWAP officials would see Iowa State’s success and its impact on campus. By strategically showcasing art from the Iowa Art Salon at Iowa State’s Memorial Union, Zenobia further facilitated the growing art collection of Iowa State. Ness served as superintendent until 1941, as the Iowa State Fair had been cancelled due to the advent of World War II, passing away in 1943 before the Art Salon could be restarted.

In 1939, Zenobia and Louise Orwig¹⁰ published Iowa Artists of the First Hundred Years. This book featured a forward written by Grant Wood and details over 100 biographies of Iowa artists. During this time, it established the State as a part of the wider national art scene.¹¹ In addition to this scholarship, Zenobia was a dedicated educator through Iowa State’s College Art Committee, the Applied Arts Department, and Homemaker’s Half-Hour radio show.

This robust era produced the public works of art by Grant Wood and Christian Petersen marked the beginning of the University Museums’ Art on Campus Collection, now boasting over 2,700 public works of art located across campus. Through curation, collection, and education, Zenobia furthered the belief that the fine arts were an important resource for the curriculum and education of the many young Iowans who would attend Iowa State.

Notes

1. Ness, Zenobia Brumbaugh, and Louise Orwig. Iowa Artists of the First Hundred Years, by Zenobia B. Ness ... and Louise Orwig. Des Moines, Iowa: Wallace-Homestead Co, 1939.

2. Zenobia was hired initially as a part-time instructor in 1924, then as a full-time instructor in 1928, remaining in the Applied Art Department in Home Economics.

3. President Raymond Hughes’ speech “The Appeal of the Beautiful” exemplifies how important he felt that Iowa State’s students were well-rounded. He states, “It is quite… important that our students have some understanding and appreciation of the beautiful''.

The Art Appreciation Committee and the Art for Engineers class were wildly popular within the Ames community. For example, the Ames Daily Tribune wrote of the students that go through the program “These students know more than the requirements of a good blueprint. They can even know something of period furniture.”

4. Zenobia was a part of the College Art Committee from 1933 until 1941, and these lectures were an effort of the College Art Committee to create more well-rounded engineers.

5. Ness was superintendent from 1929-1941. This was a massive undertaking, and Zenobia would even stay at the camp overnight in the summer of 1933. Attendance was often over 100,000 people, granting Iowans the ability to view art that would normally be inaccessible in the state. The Art Salon would be where world-renowned artist Grant Wood started, winning the highest possible prize (a sweepstake) from 1929-1932, then exhibiting, but not competing, until 1939.

6. The Art Salon had a variety of prestigious guest judges from around the world. To name a few, art curator Rene R’Harnocourt judged in 1933, PWAP artist Dewey Anderson in 1937, and director of the Des Moines Fine Arts Association Paul Harris in 1938.

7. “3 Ames Artists Winners At Fair.” Ames Daily Tribune and Times, August 24, 1933.

8. It seems that Zenobia was responsible for curating the show and the speakers, and Pride and Hughes were responsible for inviting guests. For example, there are many surviving letters to Pride asking for extra tickets, sending their regrets, etc. Meanwhile, there were fewer letters to Hughes, which could mean that he took a more administrative role. Attendance at this event began with less than fifty, and eventually more than tripled by the late 1930s. Attendees consisted of speakers, artists, donors, students, and members of the Ames community. These dinners included Fred Hartsook (1876-1930), President of the Iowa Artists Club in 1935, renowned regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) in 1936, and Director of the Des Moines Fine Arts Association, Paul Harris (1868-1954), in 1937.

9. “Ia. Artists Will Be Entertained Here Monday.” Ames Daily Tribune and Times, October 5, 1935.

10. Louise Orwig (1874-1966) was an American still-life painter and teacher at Iowa State College. Orwig and Ness both had many similar passions, most notably Iowan art history.

11. This book details over 200 pages of short biographies of Iowan artists. These artists were divided into a 14-category appendix which included: Art Educators, Cartoonists, Commercial Artists, Craftsworkers, Decorators, Designers, Etchers, Illustrator, Lithographers, Miniature Painters, Mural Painters, Painters, Sculptors, and Wood Carvers. This was a massive labor of passion for uplifting others as well as preserving history. Much of these names would be lost to time without the meticulous work of these two women.

Bibliography

“3 Ames Artists Winners At Fair.” Ames Daily Tribune and Times, August 24, 1933.

“Ia. Artists Will Be Entertained Here Monday.” Ames Daily Tribune and Times, October 5, 1935.

Hughes, Raymond. “The Appeal of the Beautiful.” Speech, 1930.

Ness, Zenobia Brumbaugh, and Louise Orwig. Iowa artists of the First Hundred Years, by Zenobia B. Ness ... and Louise Orwig. Des Moines, Iowa: Wallace-Homestead Co, 1939.

Wood, Grant. Letter to Zenobia Ness. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, December 18, 1933.