Tree Planting Group
| Artist | Grant Wood (American, 1891–1942) |
|---|---|
| Title | Tree Planting Group |
| Date | 1937 |
| Medium | Lithograph on paper |
| Dimensions | Image: 8 7/16 x 10 7/8 in. (21.4 x 27.6 cm) Sheet: 11 15/16 x 16 in. (30.3 x 40.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of Dean Fernandus Payne, Emeritus, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 68.123.16 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
In the foreground, two men are digging a hole in the ground. In the background, a woman stands with two children, holding a tree sapling; several other children stand on or near the stairs into a small building, facing the men digging the hole.
This work—the first of nineteen prints that Grant Wood completed during his career (all for Associated American Artists)—depicts a similar subject to a 1932 painting called Arbor Day. Both works reflect the artist's fond remembrances of the one-room schoolhouse that he had attended in Anamosa, Iowa. This print serves not only as an homage to Wood's supportive teachers, but also as a statement of support for land conservation. Arbor Day, which originated in Nebraska in 1872, was a day to plant trees and to encourage ecology. By 1932 most states had followed suit with many rural communities marking the annual occasion with great solemnity and an almost religious reverence.
| Publisher | Associated American Artists |
|---|
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Tree Planting Group | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=68.123.16