Industrial Mural

Soon after the Nursery Rhyme and Circus murals were commissioned, the school awarded another mural project to Dorothea Stevenson to fill a large space in the library that was in need of decoration. Stevenson was an Oklahoma City artist who had previously designed the Classen High School PWAP mural entitled The Spirit of Oklahoma. The Wilson mural entitled Industrial America depicts various industrial vocations.

Dorothea Stevenson was born February 23, 1910 in Dallas, Texas. She studied at the University of Oklahoma, Taos School of Art, New York School of Industrial Arts, Academie Julian in Paris, France and the Florentine Academy in Florence. She also studied under Nan Sheets in Oklahoma City.

Dorothea was an art instructor at Jefferson Davis Elementary School, Classen High School, Oklahoma City University, and the University of Southern California. Her mother also taught art at Classen and OCU. In addition, Dorothea taught art during many summers in Taos, New Mexico. Her works include woodblocks, pottery, watercolors, and landscape and portrait oils. She was noted for her easel and mural paintings, figure painting, sculptures and jewelry designing.

In April of 1936 Dorothea Stevenson was one of ten Oklahoma artists selected for the First National Exhibition of American Artists to be held in the Rockefeller Center in New York. Dorothea died on March 25, 2006 at the age of 96.

Principal Conner realized the value of art as an educational factor and plans were made to have only original works of art in the building. Conner expressed, “This is only the beginning, only the beginning.”