Thomas Hart Benton at Bonniebrook

Contributed by Susan Scott, Past President of BHS

 Bonniebrook Historical Society (BHS) and the Missouri Humanities Council had the pleasure of presenting “Thomas Hart Benton at Bonniebrook” on July 16, 2011.  This free admission event was open to the public and featured exhibits of Benton lithographs and presentations by scholars who are knowledgeable about his life and art history.  The intersection of his life and art subject matter with that of Branson area residents, including Rose O’Neill, was a focal point of the event.    

Jean Cantwell, founder of our historical society, and Judith Rhodes were instrumental in developing the original idea of the exhibit and were the driving force and lead organizers. The highlight during the event was without question, the Benton lithographs and memorabilia generously loaned by Dr. R. James and Judith Rhodes. 

The goal of our event was to not only provide our visitors with the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of Benton’s art but to also be exposed to the multitude of shared interests and concerns in social issues between the two famous Missourians, Rose Cecil O’Neill and Thomas Hart Benton.  

 Leo Mazow, the featured keynote speaker, is an associate art history professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and the published author of Shallow Creek: Thomas Hart Benton and American Waterways.  His interesting presentation explored sound-making and sound-receiving subject matter in Benton’s art along with a discussion of the last mural Benton produced, The Sources of Country Music. Mazow explained how several of the characters in this country music mural are composite sketches of musicians from the Branson area.  In Branson, he concluded, Benton found not only the origins, the “sources,” of country music, but also an “American sound.”   We look forward to Mazow’s latest book Thomas Hart Benton and the American Sound which is forthcoming next year from Penn State University Press. 

 Rosemary Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Music at Drury University, performed an excerpt from the opera, “One Among the Hopeful Souls” based on the life of Thomas Hart Benton.  This opera was written and composed by Drury faculty and presented in the rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol Building and in the Nelson Art Museum in Kansas City. 

 MSU advanced undergraduate art history student, Katherine Botts, presented her paper “Thomas Hart Benton How Mannerist Painting Influenced Mid-West American Art.”  Katherine included profound research and documentation that supported her premise that Benton’s public murals brought notoriety to Regionalist artists with the depiction of scenes of rough and ready American lifestyles. 

Ron Miller, artist and writer presented “Thomas Hart Benton Visits to the Miller Ranch and Ozarks Area.”  Ron provided intriguing and humorous tidbits of information about the Benton friendship with the Miller family in addition to their participation in locating models for his last mural.

 We were so very pleased that Steve Sitton and Evadene Judge from the Benton Home Site in Kansas City were among our attendees.  They graciously provided respected assistance with clarification of Benton history and identification of photos. 

Joan Stack, art curator with the State Historical Society of Missouri, delivered valuable input into the discussions of Benton’s Missouri history along with a summation of the Historical Society’s extensive archives for both Benton and O’Neill.   In addition, the Historical Society generously loaned their signed Benton lithograph Departure of the Joads for the event.  

 “The Art of Thomas Hart Benton and Rose Cecil O’Neill Establishes Common Ground” was presented by Susan Scott, immediate Past President of BHS. This PowerPoint program provided the visual comparison of the different techniques and methods of these two artists who utilized similar themes that included religion, music, sound, politics, common folks, and forgotten workers.  O’Neill and Benton were both publicly criticized for addressing the realities of life through their artistic depictions of discrimination, lynching, slavery, and extremely harsh labor practices.   

 The willingness of our scholars to devote a significant amount of their personal time to provide research for this project spoke to their belief in its importance of providing new analysis of the art of both O’Neill and Benton.

With appreciation and gratitude, we sincerely thank the Missouri Humanities Council for their support, guidance, and participation in our thought-provoking and enlightening event.   

 Web site of the Bonniebrook Historical Society:http://www.roseoneill.org/

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