Information
The Deer Lodge Post Office contains the following typewritten text, which provides a nice description of Verona Burkhard's mural:
The mural painting over the Postmaster's door was executed by Verona Burkhard of Buffalo, Wyoming. Miss Burkhard won her commission in a Section of Fine Art competition.
Dominating the composition of this landscape is Mount Powell, Deer Lodge's most prominent peak. In the right foreground are James and Granville Stuart, mounted and leading their pack horses. The Stuart brothers were famous Montana pioneers and, with a partner, were the first to start successful placer mining near Deer Lodge. They were very prominent in and important to the history and growth of Deer Lodge and Western Montana.
Verona Burkhard was born shortly before the first World War in Paris, France, of American parents. Except for the first two months of her life, she has always lived in the United States. Both of her parents are artists. After a course in art at the Washington Irving High School, New York, and a short course at the Art Students League under Boardman Robinson, Miss Burkhard gave up schools and studied by herself. Since 1934, she has exhibited in various important exhibitions. She loves the western part of the United States and has traveled extensively in the West. Her other work for the Section of Fine Arts includes murals for the Powell, Wyoming, and Kings Mountain, N.C., Post Offices.
The aim of the Section of Fine Arts is to secure murals and sculpture of distinguished quality appropriate to the embellishment of Federal Buildings. Approximately 1% of the total of limit of cost of the buildings is reserved for this decoration. The Section holds open anonymous competitions, national, regional, state, or local, to which all citizen artists of the United States are eligible. A different jury of painters or sculptors, unattached to the Section, judges each competition.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS ADMINISTRATION
Additionally, the Deer Lodge Post Office displays a photograph of Verona Burkhard painting the mural, and text the provides a brief biography of the artist and the story of how she voluntarily came to Deer Lodge and restored her artwork in 1976:
Deer Lodge, Mt. 59722
Miss Verona Burkhard painted the Mural in 1939, spending two summer months in Deer Lodge.
On August 30, 1976, she visited the Post Office and noted the painting needed cleaning and preserving. Miss Burkhard cleaned the mural and returned the next day and applied a coat of varnish to preserve it. This was done at no cost to the Postal Service and was truly a fine gesture by the artist.
After painting the Deer Lodge Mural, Miss Burkhard studied at Columbia university with Frank Mechau, a well known mural painter from Colorado. Mrs. Paula Mechau accompanied Miss Burkhard and helped with the restoration of the Mural in 1976.
Miss Burkhard was awarded four other murals which were installed in Washington, D.C. She has exhibited extensively, received a First Hellgarten Award at the Nation Academy Show (1941) in New York, an Alger Award at the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors and many other awards and mentions throughout the West.
In 1949 she moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, opening her own art classes and studio. She has worked in many media, creating sculpture, stoneware, ceramics, stained glass. Paintings in egg tempera, oil and copper are her present focus. She has designed a number of fountains, architectural sculptures and decorations for both public and private buildings.
In 1960 she was the recipient of the Colorado women of Achievement Award, the only artist ever to receive it.