October 7, 2008 – January 11, 2009 —
In 1941, Grant Reynard’s booklet Rattling Home for Christmas was published by the American Artists Group for their gift book line. This tiny volume of poetry for the unpretentious tells the tale of a homesick young art student’s return home to Grand Island, Nebraska, for Christmas. The story begins as the fellow, living with his brother in Los Angeles, boards an eastern bound train filled with produce – celery to be exact. Armed with his suitcase, lunch bucket, and a lantern, our hero finds himself aboard the yellow “celery special” among the company of cantankerous but colorful railroaders. As the train sways and jerks its way across mountains, desert, and plains, the young man’s adventure gains momentum and his countenance undergoes a radical change. Finally home in a comfortable bed, amongst the familiar trapping of his boyhood, our eager Ulysses finds that he no longer wishes to be the boy of yesterday. He’s happy to hop back aboard the west-bound “celery string,” toward the new adventures of adulthood.
The tale is more a “coming of age” novella than a traditional holiday staple. Yet, the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) can hardly celebrate the holiday season without the help of Grant Reynard. Known primarily for his artwork, it’s still no surprise that the artist could compile a charming little tale. Reynard hosted an array of uncelebrated talents. He was an accomplished art educator and administrator, writer, and musician – a truly Renaissance man in his era. His clever, energetic drawings, like the original illustrations showcased in this exhibition, inspire good cheer and feelings of well-being. What could be more appropriate during this time of year?
Also included in the exhibition is a vignette of the artist’s studio, composed entirely of memorabilia from Grant Reynard’s studio in Leonia, New Jersey, some years after his death. The contents of the artist’s studio – his art supplies, awards, correspondence, even furniture – were purchased by MONA from the artist’s family in 1981 along with a collection of approximately 3,000 drawings, prints, and paintings by this native Nebraskan.
These artifacts are only a sampling from the vast Reynard inventory held by MONA. Much remains in storage. However, this setting was created to give the viewer an idea of what it would be like to visit Grant Reynard in his studio. Visitors are invited to step inside and think of another time…a time when a young man might find himself Rattling Home for Christmas.
