Art League of Cincinnati

Tracking down lost and missing artwork from Cincinnati Public Schools is a painstaking process. However, every so often, a remarkable discovery emerges. As work continues on the upcoming book about the art of Cincinnati Public Schools, a few important facts are worth remembering. First, much of this artwork has not been seen in more than fifty years. Second, and perhaps most remarkably, a significant collection of murals and paintings has survived—thanks in large part to the Cincinnati Art Museum.

The rest of the story begins with two large Harvest murals commissioned for the Withrow High School cafeteria in 1932. Created by the esteemed muralist Louis Endres, the murals were removed during a 1972 renovation. They were reportedly sledgehammered from the walls and discarded in a dumpster. According to local accounts, one concerned alumnus salvaged a fragment and preserved it in the Withrow museum.

While researching the book, Robert Flischel set out to locate a photograph of the murals in an old yearbook to include in the upcoming book. During one of his research visits to the Mary R. Schiff Library and Archives at the Cincinnati Art Museum, archivist Geoff Edwards uncovered two beautiful black-and-white TIFF files of the murals. This discovery sparked another connection: Endres had also completed a Harvest mural for the auditorium at Oakley Elementary School in 1927.

Robert Flischel recognized the possibility that the Oakley mural could serve as a key reference for reconstructing the lost Withrow murals. Chris Cone encouraged him to contact Tony “Magic” Arrasmith immediately. Armed with the available documentation and reference materials, Tony immersed himself in the project. The results were extraordinary.

The images on the right display the progress: 1. The Oakley mural. 2. The black-and-white archival files from the Cincinnati Art Museum. 3. Tony Arrasmith’s remarkable restoration. 4. The process behind it all—best described as a bit of magic.