Pre-Settlement Days Mural - Edmond, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 39.254 W 097° 28.770
14S E 637639 N 3946663
Between the years 1935 and 1943, the Works Progress Administration sponsored and funded American artists to create paintings, sculptures and murals throughout the United States, depictiing America’s story. This is one of them.
Waymark Code: WMCTWP
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 10/12/2011
Views: 9
"Pre-Settlement Days" is a mural painted in 1939 by Ila Turner McAfee. It is an oil painting on canvas. It hung in the lobby of the Edmond Post Office for decades. It shows the open prairie before it was opened for settlement. Buffalo and antelope graze and roam on the plains, just like we sing about in the well-known song “Home on the Range”. When the post office closed and this building was remodeled to house the Edmond Municipal Courts, the new lobby did not have a location suitable for this mural. It was moved to the City Council Chambers in this same building.
The artist, Ila McAfee, was born in 1897 in Colorado. She and her artist husband lived for over sixty years in the art community of Taos, New Mexico. She specialized in painting of horses, animals and the Taos pueblo. Her work included over 1000 easel paintings, and her murals were hung in the post offices of Clifton, Texas; Cordell and Edmond, Oklahoma; and Gunnison, Colorado; as well as in the library in Greeley, Colorado. She passed away in 1995.
During the years 1935-1943, the WPA's art project provided income for artists so they were able to continue with their talents. The budgets of public buildings designated one percent for decoration. The average WPA artist received $22.50 per week.
Access to this mural is only available during office hours of the Court, which are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7AM-5PM. and Wednesday from 7AM-noon and 1PM-5PM. Ask the receptionist for a viewing of the mural. An employee named Sharon was more than happy to escort me through the building to the Council chamber. (Arriving before the City Council meetings which begin at 5:30PM on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month would also allow access to the chamber before the meeting begins. The West entrance to the building is open on meeting nights, for east access to the chamber.)
Project type: Mural/Painting
Date built or created: 1939
Location: Edmond Municipal Courts Building
City: Edmond, OK
Condition: Pristine condition
Website for additional information: [Web Link]
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