The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-29
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(which the woman's club of Topeka
win receive from the American Fed
Grafton of Art, Washington, D. c., will
be those depicting civic art. They will
larrive in Topeka some time in Feb
trua-y. At that time it is purposed to
thold at some suitable place in the CEN
tier of the city, a Joint meeting of the
Woman's club. the Topeka Art guild.
and the art departments of Washburn
college and the Topeka high school.
The slides will be shown at that meet
ling and several persons will be asked
Ito speak, including Bishop Wise, Rob
ert Pierce, head of the city planning
commission, and Mayor H. J. Corwine.
| Starting with the next semester,
(which begins next week, the art de-
partment of the College of the Sisters
lof Bethany will institute a course for
persons desiring to obtain the state
certificate for teacher of art in the
public schools. The course is open to
3any person of either sex.
The next exhibition to be brought
Ito Topeka jointly by the Topeka Art
Iguild and Washburn college will ar
rive in April. 1t will consist of about
4 fifty pictures selected from the spring
Iexhibits of New York, Philadelphia
land Boston by the American Fedora
ton of Art.
To this exhibit will be attached a
department for the works of Kansas
lartists, and a section of the regular
catalog will be given over to this
department.
The several travelling art exhibits so
far brought to Topeka by the two
labove mentioned organizations have
/ been most gratifying successes. The
u attendance was large and the financial
treturns amply sufficient to pay all
texpenses of exhibition and transporta-
Ition.
1t is a we'll established fact which
few careful thinkers will deny, that
rudimentary art education is yitally
necessary for every element of the
modern social fabric.
| Every human being has an instinc-
Tive craving after beauty, which crav-
ing is expressed in adornment OF the
Iperson or the decoration of the home
Comparatively few of US, however,
ihave that natural sense of beauty,
harmony, propriety and proportion
which is called good taste.
| Persistence in bad taste, and the
discord that results therefrom. pro-
duce a sub-conscious psychological
condition that leads to discomfort;
discomfort which often takes a tangi-
BILE and dangerous form, and menaces
the family life. the peace of the COM
munity, and ultimately the welfare OF
an entire commonwealth.
From the foregoing it ought to be
clearly gathered that correct artistic
sense is almost as essential to good
citizenship as are reading, writing and
arithmetic.
1t is largely to cultivate this sense
that art is taught in the public schools.
That which is merely stimulated in
the grade school, is developed into
tangible working shape in the high
school.
An exceedingly small portion of the
general public, few even among the
parents of students, knows much
, about the Topeka high school art de-
! partment, and the work it is accom-
plishing under the able direction of
Miss Marian Peers.
instruction is given in color har-
mony, general decorative design, inter-
ior decorating, costume deslgning'
block printing, lettering, poster de-
signing. basketry, sketching from life
still life and landscape with pencil,
crayon and colored pastel; and some
kinds of clay modelling.
The pupil is taught that the home
may be made beautiful without incur
ring great expense. Often all that is
required is skill. and the application
of inexpensive color to cheap fabrics
and to paper.
The writer was shown about
dozen semi-transparent lamp shades,
made by the application of colored
dyes to parchment paper The de-
signs were mostly conventionalized
landscapes. trees and flowers. Many
There were also a number of very
beautiful batiques. especially two
which were the work of Miss Ruth
Witwer. A batique is a piece of cloth
decorated by sketching design
thereon, covering the rest of the cloth
with melted beeswax, and then dip
ping the cloth in dye. The beeswax
effectually keeps the color from any
but the unwaxed surface. After the
dye has cried the wax is washed off
with gasoline. Sometimes the design
is to be made in many colors in which
case the cloth must be dipped for
! each color, and waxed, SO that part
to receive the color is left exposed
each time. Batiques are used for
handkerchiefs, tablecioths, dresser
covers. etc.
Miss Katherine Cole and Miss Irene
Early have each just completed
beautiful water color design suitable
for wall paper or fabric: several stu
dents were at work on clever posters.
ana one young man had modelled
set OF beads in the Egyptian mode
from clay called perInodello. These
were decorated in brilliant colors done
in enamel and coated with shellac.
Block printing is another useful ac-
complishnient taught by Miss Peers.
1t is especially useful in the orna-
menting of household fabrics. such as
napkins and tablecloths and scarfs.
Designs are carved on wooden blocks.
The carved surfaces of the blocks are
then dipped in color, and the color
design is thus stamped on the fabric.
Miss Peers intends shortly to have
al exhibit of the work of her pupils
in some down town building or win
dow. in order that the public may
come to fully appreciate the work of
the Topeka high school art depart
ment.