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Howard C.Johnson (1913-1963) - student

Born in the tiny community of Griswold, Iowa, Howard Johnson was a self-trained artist, specializing in oils, who spent two summers with the Stone City Art Colony. Following the colony, Johnson enrolled as an art student at the University of Iowa, taking classes from his former colony director, Grant Wood. He also took painting classes at the Little Gallery in Cedar Rapids, the city where he spent most of his life.

Despite his limited art education, Johnson exhibited widely – the International Water Color Show in Chicago (1936-37); the Philadelphia Water Color Show (1936); Iowa Art Salon (1933-37; various awards); University of Iowa Student Show (1934); Great Hall, Iowa State University; Joslyn Memorial Museum, Omaha; All Iowa Show at Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa (1938); Central Iowa Fair at Marshalltown, Iowa (1936-37); and the Little Gallery in Cedar Rapids.

Johnson is most remembered for his involvement in three WPA mural projects in Iowa. The first, the mural series at Parks Library, Iowa State University, found him among a group of painters selected by Grant Wood. Johnson, along with thirteen other men, completed the engineering panel for the project: “Other Arts Follow.” The second project, the WPA mural commission for the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, made history for its bitter ending.

Along with Daniel Rhodes, Johnson received the WPA commission for the fairgrounds project in 1937 and completed the panels in 1939. The mural, roughly 110 feet long and 10 feet wide, was built on the same theme used in an Iowa State University library mural panel – “Where tillage begins, other arts follow.” Presumably, the mural depicted agriculture in various stages – planting, harvesting, production, and even the meat packing industry. Scenes also showed pioneers settling western America. As they progressed in their work, passersby would point out mistakes or inaccuracies; the mural’s human figures drew much criticism with their dark faces and solemn expressions. The displeasure of fairgoers and the Fair Board reached a climax in 1946 when the Board secretary, Lloyd Cunningham, ordered the mural destroyed because of its negative portrayal of farmers. The mural was cut down upon orders from the Fair Board and used for scrap lumber at the centennial celebration of the state fair.

Johnson was also a member of the Cooperative Mural Painters Group of Cedar Rapids, the team responsible for the federal courthouse mural commission that was destroyed after years of complaints about its subject matter. He lived for several years in the city's Granby Building, home to many artists’ studios. Later, he worked for Collins Radio Company (Rockwell-Collins International) as a security guard. He died in Cedar Rapids in January 1963.

Online Resources for Howard C. Johnson: (none)

Howard C. Johnson. From the large group photo of The 1932 Stone City Art Colony and School found on the Artists: 1932 page.

When Tillage Begins: The Stone City Art Colony and School
Published online October 2003 by the
Busse Library,
Mount Mercy College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Telephone: 319-368-6465
Fax: 319-363-9060
Email: library@mtmercy.edu

Researcher & Author: Kristy Raine
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©Busse Library 2003