Honoring Christine Grant & Title IX

HONORING CHRISTINE GRANT & TITLE IX

A statement from my facebook page – www.facebook.com/mcnuttart.iowa

July 10, 2022

So this spring I was asked by FRYfest again this year to come up with a painting honoring Christine Grant, The University of Iowa Women’s Athletics and 50 year anniversary of Title IX. It was an enormous honor but weighed heavy on my heart because I wasn’t sure I, as a man, could ever really get this right and honor women in the art the way they deserved to be. I will never know what it’s like to be a woman & have a law passed that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.

To be honest, the way I was creating this was like the other paintings of coaches like Hayden or Gable with history, but this time it was just falling flat. I was learning about the times and Iowa Women’s Athletics - painting the women and events I was learning about but the art never had truth in the work.

Christine Grant and Title IX opened so many doors for women - from what I have come to learn it is so much bigger than sports. A transformation, liberation and aspiration has come out of this and women have been inspired to be in all sorts of professions - doctors, lawyers, professionals of all kinds - even a Presidential candidate blossomed during this time and after.

But gaining inspiration on topics I will never be able to live through can only come from talking with others who do know, and trying to find some clue from their perspective what it is like to be them and translate that into art. I’m grateful to Sandy Stewart, Iowa Women’s Volleyball coach (1982-89), as well as other women who shared what it was like to be a girl or woman in the late sixties wanting to play sports and provide that inspiration.

One experience which repeated itself was women told me of a time in the sixties as high school students found themselves watching through the gym doors to see the boys play sports and wonder what it was like & wish to play with their friends. That hit me - watching through a gym door wanting to do something someone tells you that you are not allowed to do or be. That really touched my heart. I can relate to that. I think we all can in some way but that act - Sandy sharing with me looking through a door held with me.

So here I am in my studio two days ago after six weeks of falling flat and I was really about ready to say, you need to find someone else, I'm not doing this right then it hit me. Why am I painting images on a canvas? There is another surface I could paint on - a gym door. I looked up gym doors for sale everywhere but I needed an old one to do it justice. I could not find anything that worked.

Then I thought maybe I can create something out of just some wood - make a wood like surface that looked like a door. Create something with a door.

Opening doors! A flood of ideas washed through me. Christine Grant, Title IX, Iowa Women - all opening doors that opened doors that opened doors for 50 years.

I went to my good friend Dan Bohlke - a cabinet maker in Iowa CIty who has worked with the University for years. I told him about my idea with wood and could he help me out.

God works in mysterious ways.

Dan shared with me when he worked on the Fieldhouse 40 some years ago, they were auctioning off items as it was being renovated. He never knew why he bought them and why he kept them in his shop but he had two doors from the University of Iowa Fieldhouse. One even had "Associate Athletic Director" on them.

The spirit of this project has changed from one of concern to one of a flow in the last 48 hours everything and ideas are falling into place. I have a new surface to paint on. God opened doors for me just like Christine did so many years ago.

I hope the touch and marks made on this painting "Doors Open" honor her spirit and the women who are sharing their stories with me.

I'm starting over.

I look forward to speaking with other generations and the athletes of today.

I have a month to make this happen in time for a FryFest poster run. I'm working with a lot of folks to get this done in the right way. I look forward to introducing them to you soon.

I hope to create something that transcends sports - I think that is what FryFest is all about - A Celebration of ALL that is Hawkeye.

Wish me luck. GO HAWKS!!!