Opening of the Homestead Folk Art Museum

I came to Amana Colonies for the opening of the Homestead Folk Art Museum. My husband Keith and I stayed at the beautiful Die Heimat Country Inn located right next door!

Thank you to Die Heimat and Visit Amana Colonies for hosting me, and thanks to Elise Heitmann Executive Director of Visit Amana for planning my visit!

History of the Homestead Folk Art Museum

The Homestead Folk Art Museum had their open house on April 7th. Located in a former general store built around 1863, Jon Childers, Executive Director of the Amana Heritage Society said, “The Homestead Store was a window to the world. This was the center for fabric, calico and woolens.”

A placard inside shares, “It was a center of social activity for village residents as well as for shoppers from the surrounding area. The village post office was located in the village until around 1915. In the 1930’s, the store opened a dealership for Minneapolis Moline tractors and was also the headquarters for hybrid seed corn production in the village of Homestead. It remained open as a store until the mid-1980’s.”

During the 1980’s, Jon Childers shared that all seven stores in the colonies were under one Manager. When they couldn’t afford to keep them all open, that is when it closed. Today visitors can still go to the General Store in Main Amana, and one owned by an Amana family that is like it was back when at High Amana.

Amana Resident David Rettig (owner of White Cross Cellars) was the manager of all seven stores at one time. “This was in the 1980’s. At that time, I was in charge of the general store’s clock department and the furniture store. Then I was promoted in 1984 to General Manager of Amana’s General Stores.”

Eventually the Amana Heritage Society donated the building, and it became the Village Museum. Then it was leased it to Die Heimat, in 2013. In 2022, they decided to turn it into the Folk Art Museum.”

The Museum Opening

The museum is a wonderful way to experience the culture and talents of the Amana Colonies both past and present. Jon Childers said, “It was arts and trades pre-1932,”he shared saying the colony elders didn’t want colonists working on art, they were, “practical people.”

Jon Childers added that the colonists are a story of “resiliency” of people living and professing their faith, a “one-of-a-kind” church group.”

In the colonies, art was considered impractical. However, the everyday tasks men and women of the Colonies performed these practical activities for life in a communal society still were quite beautiful, with the labor an art of its own. For example, there is the lithography by the Prestele family. Joseph Martinus Prestele immigrated bringing his experience of illustrating and engraving images of plants to the Colonies. Pottery, even the simple utilitarian flowerpots are beautiful in their simplicity.

Religion was part of the everyday activities of the Inspirationist Amana residents. One of my favorite items is the Weihnactspyramide a German wooden Christmas tree in the shape of a pyramid. Furniture is a sought-after item from the Amana Colonies. The colony had trained cabinetmakers and carpenters that built simple, but beautiful items, that lasted. At the furniture shop during the communal period, they made furniture, rakes and pitchforks, wheelbarrows, drying racks, cups and spoons, yarn winders, quilt frames and coffins. Some men did woodworking as a hobby. A horse drawn wooden hearse was one of the items on display.

Artisans

One artist that was an original Amana resident was Margo Fels Jarosz who after graduation headed to Chicago to art school. After raising her family in the Chicago suburbs, the colonies looked good, and she returned to her roots. “I was ready to retire and came back here. I love the art and museums. I sell art at the Gallery On Main.“

Margo said her interest in art is because of Amana artist Gordon Kellenberger. “He was my art teacher. He’s been that guy. I give him a lot of this credit.”

She added that he started the art program here and the Amana Art Guild.

Amana resident Carl Flick wanted to paint and reached out to the world known artist Grant Wood. Jon Childers said. “Grant helped him and they became lifelong friends and did a painting with both painting a side of a house.”

In a blog, Grant Wood in Amana, the writer shares, “He would come to Amana to sketch, paint, lecture, and meet with local art friend, Carl Flick, who wrote him a letter of interest which Grant Wood liked and came to help the beginning painter. They became friends and he was often invited for dinner, liking the potatoes Mrs. Flick made…”

During the open house, artisans like Harvey Jeck, and Tom Oehler were sharing their woodworking art. Harvey offered a variety of turned bowls, and Tom had wooden spoons and a rack to hold them. One of the most amazing items was Harvey’s hat created from one piece of wood. “This was the hardest piece I ever made,” Harvey said. “It was from one piece of poplar.”

More art!

Blacksmithing was another art on display, and a much-needed job when the colony depended on animals for much of their work like shoeing oxen and horses.

Artisan Gary Frost, a world expert on bookbinding from Coralville, Iowa shared German Book Binding. His display represented both the Amana and Mennonite efforts. “The Inspirationists were a bit different, but it was similar to 18th century Germany. Case binding or hardback was invented so it was the Germans that started bookbinding,” Gary said. “Jacob Dickelson was the last book binder in the colony.”

Retired Manager of Amana farms, the late Larry Graesser built scale models out of sandstone, by pounding the stone into sand, then mixing sand with glue. There was basketmaking, needlework, carpet weaving, tin smithing and more!

Amana Memories

David Rettig lives in a former communal kitchen built back in 1865 although he said it has been remodeled. “This was the house I grew up in. Growing up, we lived in the front part. Grandma was above us, and in the back part my aunt and uncle. It was like a duplex with only a wall and door separating us. I grew up with an extended family. Think of the old Dallas show,” he quipped.

Sharing the quality of the furniture, David said, “My great-great-grandpa was a foremost clockmaker. Many of his clocks are still working I have a table my grandfather made, and you can still see the beauty of the solid wood.”

When visiting the museum be sure to go upstairs and see some of the wonderful items from the past.

Head to Amana where history lives in the buildings, the stores, and the museums. See the art, the folk art in the museum, and the everyday labor resulting in practical beauty.