Stone city art colony

During the Depression year summers of 1932 and 1933, Grant Wood organized the Stone City Art Colony to promote regional art, specifically that which reflected the distinctive character of the Midwest. He was assisted by Marvin Cone, and funding came from a Carnegie Foundation Grant. The Colony was headquartered in the large, limestone mansion of the Green Estate, overlooking Stone City, Iowa. Students lived in ice wagons converted into living quarters. Unfortunately, the Depression caused the colony to close after only two seasons. Stone City is a small unincorporated village situated along the Wapsipinicon River in east central Iowa. Before the invention and widespread use of Portland Cement, Stone City was a thriving community. It's three large limestone quarries supplied the finest building stone in the region. Today Stone City is a slow, quiet, picturesque place. It is a place to remember the past and consider the future. Source: The Stone City Art Colony and School, http://projects.mtmercy.edu/stonecity/colony.html