The Pioneer Mother

John Steuart Curry, artist

1897–1946

The Pioneer Mother, 1941–1942

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: charcoal pencil; gouache

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 508 x 381 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 20 x 15 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 25 x 20 in

Credit line: Gift of Daniel Bradley Schuster

Accession number: 1994.0096

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"John Steuart Curry: Agrarian Allegories," Aug-2006, Kate Meyer
The American Ballet Theater inaugurated their 1941-1942 season by commissioning Curry to create sets and costumes for a new ballet originally titled Pagan Poem, based on Carl Sandburg’s 1918 poem, “Prairie.” Curry envisioned the world of “Prairie” inhabited by personifications of the elements, crops, and animals of the region. The Prairie Girl would be the ballet’s female lead, the set a massive sunrise, and two larger-scale figures, The Pioneer Father and The Pioneer Mother, would oversee the Midwestern tableaux from the background. These designs were not in keeping with choreographer Eugene Loring’s more understated intentions for the ballet, and only some of Curry’s color choices influenced the set and costumes.

Curry’s designs for “Prairie” were eventually realized in 2001, with the production of composer Eugene Friesen’s ballet Carl Sandburg’s “Prairie”. Lawrence’s own Prairie Wind Dancers wore costumes that were based on Curry’s sketches and were created by Rob Faust and Ione Unruh, with choreography by Candi Baker.