A unique piece of art has found its way to the Danish American Archive and Library (DAAL) in Blair. Now the question is how to display it.
The museum is now home to a mosaic done by Bill Thomsen, the creator of the Tower of the Four Winds mosaic at Black Elk Neihardt Park, based on his painting, “White Forevermore.” Commissioned by Blair residents Dorothy and Harold Wright, the mosaic was in their home
After Harold passed away and Dorothy was readying to move out of the home, their children approached DAAL with a request.
“The children asked if we would be interested in it,” Jill Hennick, Executive Director for DAAL. “They really wanted it to stay in Blair because of its connection to the Tower of the Four Winds and even if they were in the area, they could just stop by.”
“White Forevermore” was initially painted by Thomsen while he was pursuing his Master's at Drake University in the 1960s and is based on a four-panel poem, “The Colors” by John McCutcheon. The last stanza in the poem is where Thomsen drew his inspiration for the mosaic.
The poem, as depicted by McCutcheon, portrays “white forevermore” as a graveyard following a great war. Thomsen's spin on it is a canvas of white with blues, grays and greens throughout. Hennick said Thomsen supposedly created paintings for all four panels, but turned just White Forevermore into a mosaic.
Hennick said DAAL staff is currently looking for ideas to display the artwork. She said its weight – more than 100 pounds – makes simply hanging it impossible.
“It's very, very heavy,” she said. “(The Wrights) had to reinforce their wall to hang it.
“We're hoping somebody could have a vision out to put it on some sort of easel and move it around the archive so we don't have to worry about the wall.”
No matter its place in the archive, Hennick said she's pleased that the art stayed in Blair. First, she said, it's a tribute Harold and Dorothy, who both served as volunteers at the DAAL. Second, she said the mosaic carries a considerable historical significance to Blair, as it gives visitors a chance to see Thomsen's work up-close. And third, she said, it represents immigration and new life after war, both of which are themes found at DAAL.
“We thought with historical reasons and the connection to Dana, it mades sense,” she said. “Normally we don't take artifacts but this one just fit with so many reasons to keep it in Blair.”
