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FROM GRANT WOOD. NO FIVE TURNER ALLEY. CEDAR RAPIDS. IOWA
1142 Court Street, Iowa City, Iowa
April 23, 1936
Dear John,
Mr. C.V. Donovan of the Fine Arts department of the University of Illinois was our guest recently and we talked over the possibility of your coming to the University of Illinois. When Donovan returned to Urbana, he wrote me as follows:
"On my return I immediately took up the matter of securing Mr.Curry for our staff with Dean Newcomb. He is, of course, very much in favor of such a plan and is to discuss it with Mr.Willard, the president of the University. We have a rather good contact with Mr.Kepple of the Carnegle Foundation through Mr.Chase, our former president and the president chancellor of New York University. As he is a personal friend of Mr.Kepple, I am very much in hope that we may be able to secure the cooperation of Carbegle Foundation in securing Mr.Curry's services, as we have no funds nor can we look forward to any enlargement of our budget in the near future for this purpose.
"DO you believe it would be a good plan for me to correspond with Mr.Curry so that we might have his reaction and comment on such a plan? It is difficult for either Dean Newcomb or myself to go to New York immediately but I feel that the matter should be arranged as soon as possible. I should be glad to have your advice and suggestions on this matter."
I am writing Donovan giving him your address and telling him to write directly to you. Surely out of one of these propositions, some desirable situation will materialize for you.
I'm looking forward to talking matters over with you when you come sometime this summer.
Sincerely,
Grant Wood
John Steuart Curry, Esquire
Otter Ponds
Westport, Conn.