Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

N.T. (CROCUSES)

Date

1972

Materials

PAPER, WATERCOLOUR, GRAPHITE

No. Pieces

1

Height

25.7

Length

0.1

Width

35.9

Description

WATERCOLOUR AND GRAPHITE ON PAPER. SIGNED BY THE ARTIST "JESSE URSENBACH '72". DEPICTION OF A GREEN BOWL WITH OVERFLOWING CROCUSES. GRAPHITE DRAWING VISIBLE THROUGH PAINT. LEFT EDGES HAS HOLES FOR COIL BINDING. RIGHT TOP AND BOTTOM CORNERS ARE ROUNDED.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

DONOR RUTH DAW ACQUIRED THE TWO DONATED WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS IN THE EARLY 1980S FROM THE “HOUSE OF FINE ART” LOCATED AT 409 - 5TH STREET SOUTH. THREE UNFRAMED URSENBACHS WERE ORIGINALLY ACQUIRED FROM THE STORE, THE DONATED TWO GIVEN BY DAW TO HER A DAUGHTER WHO LATER RETURNED THEM ON ACCOUNT OF RE-LOCATING TO AUSTRALIA. A SECOND DAUGHTER IS IN POSSESSION OF THE THIRD URSENBACH WORK “HENDERSON LAKE, 1947”. THE THREE PAINTINGS ORIGINALLY COST DAW ABOUT $40 TO $80. DAW SPECULATES THAT URSENBACH WAS SELLING WORK BECAUSE SHE WAS DOWNSIZING TO A SMALLER HOUSE. AT THE TIME OF DONATION DONOR SAID, “[THEY WERE] SHOWN IN [MY] HOME, HAD THEM IN MY BEDROOM. [I] PICKED THEM OUT BECAUSE SHE (URSENBACH) WAS GOOD AT FLOWER PAINTINGS.” IN PREVIOUS DONATIONS, THE DONOR GAVE WORKS WHICH FEATURED HISTORIC LETHBRIDGE AS THEIR SUBJECT. DONOR SAID “I COLLECTED FLOWER PAINTINGS [BECAUSE] I LOVE THE FAMILIARITY OF THE WORK [AND I] ALSO HAVE A CERAMIC COLLECTION OF PRAIRIE PICTURES FROM SASKATCHEWAN.” THE DONOR WAS FRIENDS WITH JESSIE URSENBACH’S DAUGHTER MARILYN KRAMMER. DAW DESCRIBES JESSIE URSENBACH AS, “A SHORT LADY, QUITE REGAL LOOKING. SHE IS ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THE LOCAL MORMON CHURCH. URSENBACH PAINTED WHAT SHE HAD OUT OF HER GARDEN.” DAW WAS FROM MEDICINE HAT WHERE SHE WAS WORKING ON THE HISTORY OF THE BRITISH WALK REFUGEES IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA. DAW’S FATHER HAD PASSED AWAY AND SO SHE AND HER BROTHER WORKED THEIR WAY THROUGH UNIVERSITY. SHE TAUGHT AT HAMILTON JR. HIGH IN THE 1950S. DAW WAS A COUNCILOR, ENGLISH TEACHER, SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER, PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER AND WORKED WITH SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS. SHE ACQUIRED HER MA IN 1977 AND LEFT HAMILTON FOR A BRIEF PERIOD TO HAVE CHILDREN. DAW BEGAN COLLECTING ART, “WHEN I HAD SOME SPARE MONEY” AROUND THE 1980S. THESE PAINTINGS MARK THE BEGINNING OF RUTH’S ART COLLECTION. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF JESSIE REDD URSENBACH WAS SOURCED FROM THE RECORDS OF PREVIOUS DONATIONS OF URSENBACH'S WORK BY THE DONOR, RUTH DAW. JESSIE REDD URSENBACH WAS BORN IN NEW HARMONY, UTAH ON AUGUST 15, 1895, TO WILLIAM AND VERENA BRYNER REDD. URSENBACH WAS RAISED AND EDUCATED IN RAYMOND, GRADUATING FROM THE KNIGHT ACADEMY IN 1912. SHE ATTENDED SUMMER SESSIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA & THE ALBERTA NORMAL SCHOOL IN CALGARY, AND TAUGHT ART IN SCHOOLS IN RAYMOND, CARDSTON, AND GLENWOOD. SHE WAS A CHARTER MEMBER OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB & HANDLED CLUB PUBLICITY FOR MANY YEARS. URSENBACH ATTENDED THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS IN THE SUMMER OF 1937 ON A SCHOLARSHIP, AND CONTINUED PAINTING PROLIFICALLY FOR THE NEXT 11 YEARS UNDER THE DIRECTION OF PROFESSOR H.G. GLYDE. URSENBACH ALSO RECEIVED ART TRAINING UNDER A.Y. JACKSON (GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST), AND STUDIED AT THE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART IN TORONTO, STUDYING MODERN ART UNDER RODY COURTICES (THOUGH SHE PREFFERED THE MORE TRADITIONAL STYLES OF LANDSCAPE AND STILL LIFE). URSENBACH WAS AFFILIATED WITH THE CANADIAN FEDERATION OF ARTISTS UNDER WHICH SHE EXHIBITED FROM COAST TO COAST, INCLUDING IN NEW YORK CITY AND CALIFORNIA. SHE TUTORED A LARGE CLASS OF PRIVATE PUPILS IN LETHBRIDGE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS UNTIL SHE BEGAN THE VOCATION OF MATRON AT THE LATTER DAY SAINTS TEMPLE IN CARDSTON. JESSIE URSENBACH DIED ON MAY 11, 1987. THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB HELD THEIR FIRST MEETING AT THE HOME OF MISS ANNA MACKENZIE ON OCTOBER 7, 1936. EDITH FANNY KIRK WAS THE FIRST ART TEACHER IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE CAME FROM BRITAIN WITH CLASSICAL TRAINING AND IT WAS KIRK WHO SET THE STAGE FOR THE SKETCH CLUB TO COME INTO BEING. THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FORMATION BY PROVIDING RECOGNITION OF ARTISTIC MERIT THROUGH DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIPS. ANNA MACKENZIE AND P.J. COLLINS CONCEIVED OF THE CLUB AFTER THEIR EXPERIENCE IN BANFF. THE GROUP WAS FORMED OUT OF AN ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST IN ART AND SOON AFTER THE GROUP BEGAN MEETING, THERE WERE REGULAR EXHIBITIONS. THE GROUP WAS PRIVY TO THE ATTENTION OF GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST A.Y.JACKSON WHEN HE MADE HIS FREQUENT SKETCHING TRIPS TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA. HE REGULARLY ACCOMPANIED THE SKETCH CLUB AND HIS INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN IN MUCH OF THEIR WORK. ANOTHER GUEST OF THE GROUP WAS ANNORA BROWN WHO WAS AN ARTIST WHO HAD TRAINED IN TORONTO, BUT RESIDED IN FORT MACLEOD AND BEGAN SPENDING TIME WITH THE GROUP IN 1939. HER INTEREST IN FLOWER STUDIES IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE INSPIRED MANY OF THE WORKS BY CLUB MEMBERS. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, THE GROUP ORGANIZED SUMMER CLASSES TAUGHT BY OUT OF TOWN ARTISTS SUCH AS: H.G.GLYDE, WALTER J. PHILIPS AND A.C. LEIGHTON. ACCORDING TO A HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB WRITTEN BY JOAN STEBBINS IN JUNE, 1985, “THE PAINTINGS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB PORTRAY FAVOURITE SKETCHING AREAS IN THE REGION – THE COULEES PROVIDED ENDLESS MATERIAL, THE RIVERBOTTOM, THE OLD R.C.M.P. BARRACKS, THE WHITNEY FARM, HENDERSON LAKE, THE FELGER HUTTERITE COLONY, THE FOOTHILLS AND WATERTON LAKE WERE OFTEN REPEATED SUBJECTS.” *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS INTERN KIRSTAN SCHAMUHN CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS. ON 26 NOVEMBER 2018, SCHAMUHN INTERVIEWED RUTH DAW REGARDING HER PRIOR DONATIONS. THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: ON HER COLLECTION OF JESSIE URSENBACH PAINTINGS, DAW RECOUNTED: “I COLLECTED THEM. SHE HAD A DISPERSED SALE, AND I LIKED THEM AND I PICKED THEM UP—I LIKE THE FLOWERS VERY MUCH AND ENJOYED THEM MANY, MANY YEARS AND THE TIME [HAD] COME TO SEND THEM OFF SO I SENT THEM TO THE MUSEUM. I KNEW THEY WERE COLLECTING SOME OF HER STUFF.” “I MUST HAVE PICKED THEM…PROBABLY IN THE ‘70S AND ‘60S. SHE DID HAVE A SHOW AND SALE, IT WAS MAYBE THE SKETCH CLUB’S, SO THAT’S WHY I PICKED THESE UP.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT WHY SHE CHOSE TO COLLECT URSENBACH PAINTINGS, DAW RESPONDED, “I WAS ATTRACTED TO [THE] FLOWER PICTURES AND TO THE HISTORIC ASPECT OF THEM. I WAS INTERESTED IN HISTORIC LETHBRIDGE.” “AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, SHE WAS QUITE WELL-KNOWN AND I REALLY LOVED HER FLOWER PICTURES; THEY’RE REALLY SPECTACULAR.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH URSENBACH, DAW RECALLED, “I HAVE MET HER [URSENBACH]. I WORKED IN THE HOME AND SCHOOLS WITH HER DAUGHTER QUITE A BIT. HER DAUGHTER WAS A FRIEND OF MINE SO I WORKED QUITE A BIT WITH HER IN RELATION TO HOME AND SCHOOL [ASSOCIATIONS]. AND I WORKED WITH THEM, TOO, WHEN I WAS OUT WITH MY OWN KIDS AND [WE] GOT ALONG JUST FINE. SHE WAS FINE, SHE WAS A VERY ENTHUSIASTIC PERSON. VERY CRAFTY, VERY MUCH AN ARTIST’S DAUGHTER.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER INTEREST AND INVOLVEMENT WITH THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, DAW ELABORATED, “IT WAS PROBABLY THE 1970S. THAT WAS WHEN I WENT BACK TO WORK AND WE HAD A NEWER HOUSE. WE MOVED TO A BIGGER HOUSE, AND THAT WAS PROBABLY WHERE I GOT THE PICTURES, FOR THAT.” “WE [RUTH AND CLIFF DAW] WEREN’T ACTUALLY INVOLVED WITH THEM. WE WERE APPRECIATORS.” “WE LIKED THE ART. MY HUSBAND [CLIFF DAW] WAS AWARE OF THE GOOD ARTISTS THAT WERE AVAILABLE. MY FAMILY HAD NEVER SPENT ANY MONEY ON ANYTHING LIKE THAT AT ALL, SO I BECAME AWARE OF IT AND SINCE WE WERE [IN A] NEW HOUSE WE WERE HAVING DIFFERENT SORTS OF THINGS. EVERYTHING WAS NEW AND EVERYTHING WAS AVAILABLE SO WE JUST WENT WITH THE FLOW.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P20110018001 FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND COPIES OF ARTICLES REGARDING THE FAMILY HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P20110018001

Acquisition Date

2011-06

Collection

Museum

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