(Arnolds Park)– The Okoboji Queen Chapter of Questers was awarded a grant recently at the International Questers Conference to restore some additional paintings in the Abbie Gardner Cabin Visitors Center.
Maryanna Hubbard wrote the grant for the Okoboji Queen chapter. She says they had earlier received a state grant but had to give it up after the artist who was going to do the work retired. She says they were able to find a new artist who specializes in restoration work and applied for a new grant from the Questers…
“The impressive thing is that at international convention, nearly $100,000 of grant money was awarded, and we were one of the 23 chapters that received our grants.”
Hubbard says the funds will cover the restorations of the final two paintings…
“One is of the cabin itself with the figures of the Gardner family standing in front of it. The other one is the site on the Little Sioux River where one of the survivors drowned before she could make the final trip walking as they were asked to do, over 400 miles, out to South Dakota.”
Hubbard says the paintings will be taken down after the current tourist season and will be hand-delivered to the artist who will do the restoration…
“Michael Plummer who is the state historic sites manager for our state found this gal, Audrey Brown. She has a studio I think really in Illinois but she lives in Davenport. Being from southeastern Iowa she wasn’t familiar with our pioneer history, so we sent her a copy of the book, Abbie Gardner’s book of the Spirit Lake Massacre, and now she’s totally excited to restore the final two paintings that Abbie used to illustrate her story when she told the people who came to the cabin to visit.”
Hubbard says the before and after of the already restored paintings is remarkable…
“I’d recommend people, if you’re truly interested to see the pictures now, as they are, the paintings as they are now, and then come back next summer and see the difference. We were amazed when the first two paintings were done. The change was so obvious. Even to those of us with very amateur eyes. We could see brighter colors and even details we had never seen or noticed before.”
Hubbard says the restoration of the final two paintings will be complete in May of 2027, at which time they will once again be on display at the Abbie Gardner Cabin Visitor’s Center.
Above: The final two paintings in the Abbie Gardner collection that will be restored.
You can hear the complete interview with Maryanna Hubbard here:
