After a welcome from Grant Wood Country Forum director Elaine Mattingly, Grant Wood Art Colony director Maura Pilcher will discuss the new partnership between the Forum and the University of Iowa followed by an update on the Grant Wood Catalogue Raisonné project.
"The Recipe: Introduction to All Things Grant Wood Country Forum," by Elaine Mattingly
Elaine Mattingly’s connection to all things Grant Wood goes back six generations in the Anamosa, Stone City, Viola and Cedar Rapids areas of Iowa. She presses into service her experience as a documentary film writer/producer, non-profit communications professional/editor and theatrical writer/producer/director as she facilitates the Grant Wood Country Forum with its partners and coordinates/edits the Grant Wood Country Chronicle. She holds degrees in literature and business from Cornell College, as well as experience serving as a research assistant at the University of Iowa.
"Study for American Gothic at Auction During "We the People: America at 250,'" by Steve Zick
Steven Zick is a Senior Vice President and Director for Christie’s Chicago. Zick joined Christie’s in 2004, after six years with the San Francisco-based auction house Bonhams & Butterfields. Zick and his colleagues in the Chicago regional office cover a thirteen-state area and work with estate fiduciaries, private collectors, museums and dealers coordinating appraisals and securing property for auctions held in New York, London, Paris and a host of other international sales sites. Zick is also a charity auctioneer and lectures on art and appraisal-related topics nationwide. Prior to joining the auction world, Zick was a lawyer with 14 years’ experience, most recently with the Attorney General of Illinois. Specializing in federal habeas corpus and criminal appeals, he practiced in every court, from the circuit courts of Illinois to the Supreme Court of the United States. Board memberships have included the Museum Council of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum and the Junior Board of Heartland Alliance. He also served on the Gala and Acquisitions Committees of the Society for Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Board of Governors of the English Speaking Union. He is currently a board member of the Irish Georgian Society and a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council, and Emerge, the acquisition committee at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Most recently, Zick joined the Trusts & Estates Advisory Board of PAWS Chicago, an animal rescue charity.
"Seeing Wood: Cedar Rapids Community School District Grant Wood Collection," by Kristina Dvorak
Kristina Dvorak is a Talented and Gifted educator and the Art Collection Coordinator for the Cedar Rapids Community School District. A former high school art teacher with an interest in the history of art in Iowa, Kristina has managed the district’s permanent art collection since 2009. This work focuses on preserving artwork by Grant Wood, Marvin Cone, and Carl Van Vechten, along with many other local artists, ensuring that the artistic heritage of Cedar Rapids remains a vital part of the district’s educational mission.