Portrait of Maquoketa More Than Painting

Rose Frantzen of Maquoketa never realized that painting the 12-by-12-inch portraits of 180 people in town would become such a big deal. To her. And, to the world. (See today's Ramblin' column in The Gazette.)

Rose's year-long project, titled "Portrait of Maquoketa," has been on display at the Smithsonian National Potrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., since Nov. 6 and will be up through July 5.  It is part of the "Portraiture Now: Communities" exhibit which you can learn more about by clicking here. And, if you'd like to listen to a quick excerpt of the audio portion of the gallery display, click here.

Rose says the exhibit is arranged in six groups of 30 portraits, each group 10 portraits wide and three deep to give viewers the impression of a crowd.

That, of course, derives from Rose's initial concept to paint portraits of all 6,000-plus residents of Maquoketa. But, that turned out to be just a dream when she realized that about half the people probably wouldn't pose and that it would take an astronomical amount of time to paint the rest. She pared it down to 180, chosing the subjects from about 300 people who volunteered. She chose subjects ranging in age from 3 days old to 99 years and 8 months old, the idea being that it would provide a great cross section of the people who make up her hometown.

The idea was to bring art to the masses, to let them see the creative process and how it comes together. So Rose did her painting in a vacant storefront so people walking by could see her at work. The subject also watched his/her portrait take shape via a mirror that Rose set up over her shoulder.

What she thought would be 2-hour sittings turned into 4-hour and 5-hour sessions when the subjects began telling Rose their stories. Rose also shared with the public her life, an exchange that became all important in the creation of portraits that, after all, are an interpretation of the artist's view of the subject.

As a result, even though each portrait looks like the subject to a third person, it was actually how Rose, the artist, saw these people and sometimes not how they saw themselves. Only one person was truly upset about the outcome while several other folks expressed disappointment. Some thought it would become a portrait they'd want to hang in their home or one they could use with their obituaries. But, these were not commissioned works, which would have cost up to $4,000 each. They were the project of community, how people in Maquoketa look through this artist's eyes.

And, to make it more relevant, it's important to know that Maquoketa is Rose's hometown. She was born here, raised here, graduated from high school here. She went to Chicago and then east, to Connecticut and New York City, to hone her craft. She considered moving to the west coast with no intention of settling down where she grew up. Then, in one afternoon in 1991, that all changed.

"I came here to paint, a four-hour period, and ended up buying the buidling," Rose says, sitting in the main gallery of her Old City Hall Gallery, located in Maquoketa's former City Hall, built in 1901. She was able to buy it then with help from her parents, Ellen and Wayne Frantzen. Wayne, a photographer, also has some of his work displayed at the gallery as does Rose's husband, Charles Morris. (Click here to visit the gallery's Web site.)

"I like the fact that you can get to know people here," Rose says. "Why wouldn't I like this? I grew up with it."

Sure, Rose and Charles like to visit the big cities -- Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C. -- on a regular basis. But they also like to come home. And that's what "Portrait of Maquoketa" is all about, especially when it returns from its national run to become a tourist attraction at Maquokta Art Experience.

"We think a really good time," Rose says, "is to go out to the DNR parks and go for a walk."