Gloucester and the Friendly Sea: An Early 20th-Century Art Educator’s Mural as a Pedagogical Hinge

Abstract

In this article, I investigate the mural-making experience of Mabel Spofford, an early 20th-century art educator from Massachusetts. Spofford designed and created a mural titled Gloucester and the Friendly Sea while attending a Pennsylvania State University Summer Arts Institute course with Viktor Lowenfeld in 1947. By placing archival documents, such as the written mural plan, in relation to relevant historical, social, and cultural contexts, a story emerges about the personal and social motivations of Spofford as an art educator whose life was inextricably intertwined with place. The story I tell is of a woman who had a deep connection to the local and whose experience in the mural course served as a pivot point (Ellsworth, 2005) in her own becoming—one which brought her lifelong experiences of place into relation, allowing her to see the known anew.

Acknowledgment

I express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Mary Ann Stankiewicz for sharing her passion for historical research and for encouraging my continued exploration into the life and contributions of Mabel Spofford.

Notes

¹ National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, DC; NARA Series: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906-March 31, 1925; Roll #: 2433; Volume #: Roll 2433-Certificates: 373850-374349, 26 Feb 1924-28 Feb 1924. Accessed via Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, 2007.

² Photograph of Gloucester Mural. (ca. 1947-1950). Mabel Spofford Collection (Box #14, Series & 2, Folder 1), Cape Ann Museum Archives, Gloucester, MA.

³ Spofford, M. (ca. 1947). Notes for Gloucester and the Friendly Sea mural. Mabel Spofford collection of art education materials, 1947-1982 (bulk 1947-1948, Folders 1 and 2). The Pennsylvania State University Special Collections Library, State College, PA.

⁴ Photograph of 8 Cherry St., Danvers, MA. (ca. 1947-1950). Mabel Spofford Collection (Box #14, Series 1 & 2, Folder 1), Cape Ann Museum Archives, Gloucester, MA.

⁵ McGilvray, B. (Photographer). The founding of Gloucester [digital image]. Retrieved from https://enduringgloucester.com/about-the-mural-above

⁶ Bernstein, B. (Photographer). Civic virtues [digital image]. Retrieved from http://livingnewdeal.org/projects/gloucester-city-hall-civic-virtues-mural-gloucester-ma