Jeff Kopaska Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 1436 255th St., Boone, IA 50036. E-mail: [email protected]
Recently, the Iowa Chapter of the American Fisheries Society awarded a Fisheries Project Grant for the restoration of the original Maynard Reece fish prints housed at the Rathbun Fish Hatchery. The grant award will be used in conjunction with a $20,000 grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, Historical Resource Development Program award. Maynard Reece is one of Iowa’s preeminent artists, on a level below only Grant Wood and on par with Ding Darling, Marvin Cone, Andrew Clemens, and Christian Petersen. He began his career as a graphic artist with the Meredith Corporation in Des Moines at the age of 18 in 1938. At that time, he began meeting with and became the protégé of Ding Darling. In 1940, he took a position with the State Historical Museum and by 1942 had painted the color plates for the book Waterfowl in Iowa. Following his World War II service, Reece returned to the State Historical Museum in 1946 and undertook the work of illustrating the color plates for Iowa Fish and Fishing. His work concluded sometime between the printing of the second edition in 1951 and the third edition in 1956, which included all of the paintings. His efforts resulted in 18 separate paintings, including 63 different fish species. These 18 original paintings are the property of the Fisheries Bureau of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and have been on display at the Rathbun Hatchery since it opened in the 1970s.Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus. Art credit: Maynard Reece.
Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus. Art credit: Maynard Reece.
I was a biologist at Clear Lake when the Rathbun Hatchery was being built. I called Ken Formanek who worked in Information & Education back then. Ken remembers doing an inventory back in the late 60’s of things at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and found two big boxes filled with Maynard Reece originals! They had sat there for years. They were simply framed with no matting at the time of discovery. Contact was made with Maynard Reece and he suggested using The Art Store for reframing and matting. A guy at the store had done work for Maynard. … The originals were matted and framed in what Formanek says is archival condition sometime around 1970–72. They were placed on display in the interpretive area at Rathbun Hatchery and have remained there. Ken believes the folks doing the conservation work will find they are generally in very good condition save for exposure to light over the years. It’s good this preservation work is being done. There is a better place for the originals, and prints will work just fine at the hatchery (pers. comm., December 19, 2013).
Over the next year, the original paintings will be sent to an art conservator to be treated and restored. After completion, we will create digital images, archive the originals, and create a new display for the State of Iowa Historical Museum and produce prints for continued display at the Rathbun Fish Hatchery. The new high-resolution digital images will allow us to create new prints in the future as needed and will allow us to use these images on the website, in publications, and on educational materials for the foreseeable future, all of which greatly enhance their utility to the Iowa DNR. Furthermore, by restoring and preserving these irreplaceable pieces and archiving them at the State Historical Museum, they will be available to future generations to enjoy. Thank you to the Iowa Chapter of AFS for assisting in this project.
REFERENCES • Harlan, J. R. and E. B. Speaker. 1956. Iowa Fish and Fishing, 3rd Edition. Iowa State Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. • Musgrove, J. W. and M. R. Musgrove. 1943. Waterfowl in Iowa. Iowa State Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. • Reece, M. 1963. Fish and fishing: a Better Homes & Gardens book. Meredith Press, New York. • Walsh, Maurice. 1961. A Seven-Pound Trout. The Saturday Evening Post 234(43):32-33. SOURCES • In Pursuit of Wildlife Conservation: The Art of Jay N. Darling and Maynard Reece, 2013. A pamphlet created to accompany the art show at Iowa State University’s Brunnier Museum. Maynard has artwork in the holdings of the National Museum of Wildlife Art www.wildlifeart.org/collection/artists/artist-maynard-reece-449/ • Maynard Reece Gallery www.maynardreecegallery.com/AboutUs.htm • Wikipedia site en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maynard_Reece • Des Moines Register listing of famous Iowans data.desmoinesregister.com/famous-iowans/maynard-reece • Outdoor Writers Association of America—Legends owaa.org/owaa-legends/maynard-reece-artist-with-a-feathertouch MAYNARD REECE HONORS • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation stamp, 1988 Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year, 1973 • Distinguished American Artist by American Artist magazine • Master Wildlife Artist, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, International Birds in Art show, 1989 • Commissioned to create the first Iowa Duck Stamp, 1972 • Commissioned to create the first Missouri Turkey Stamp, 1983 MAYNARD REECE STAMP PRINTS Federal Duck Stamp • 1948-1949 Federal Duck Stamp Print—Bufflehead • 1951-1952 Federal Duck Stamp Print—Gadwalls • 1959-1960 Federal Duck Stamp Print—Labrador Retriever • 1969-1970 Federal Duck Stamp Print—White-winged Scoters • 1970-1971 Federal Duck Stamp Print—Cinnamon Teal Stamp Prints • 1972 Iowa Duck Stamp Print—Mallards • 1977 Iowa Duck Stamp Print—Lesser Scaups • 1981 Iowa Habitat Stamp Print—Bobwhites • 1982 Iowa Trout Stamp—Rainbow Trout • 1982 Arkansas Duck Stamp—Wood Duck • 1982 Bass Research Foundation—Largemouth Bass • 1983 Texas Duck Stamp Print—Wigeon • 1983 Ruffed Grouse Society—Ruffed Grouse • 1983 Missouri Turkey Stamp Print • 1984 Chesapeake Bay—Canada Geese • 1984 International Quail Foundation—Bobwhite Quail • 1985 Ducks Unlimited—Mallards • 1985 Arkansas Turkey Stamp Print • 1988 National Fish & Wildlife—Mallards • 1988 Arkansas Duck Stamp Print—Pintails • 1989 Washington Duck Stamp Print—American Wigeon • 1989 Iowa Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Print—Canada Geese • 1992 Quail Unlimited Stamp—Bobwhite Quail • 1993 Iowa Duck Stamp Print—Mallards • 1997 Illinois Habitat Stamp Print—Ring-necked Pheasants • 1998 Illinois Habitat Stamp Print—Doves • 1998 Idaho Duck Stamp Print—Canada Geese • 1999 Illinois Habitat Stamp Print—Turkeys • 2000 Illinois Habitat Stamp Print—Whitetail Deer • 2000 Quail Unlimited Dove Conservation Stamp Print—Doves • 2013 Arkansas Duck Stamp—Mallards