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Esther Sietmann Warner Dendel papers

 Collection
Identifier: IWA0301

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Scope and Contents

The Esther Dendel papers date from 1922 to 1996 and measure 2.5 linear feet. The papers consist of biographical information, a book, the Denwar Workshop, an oral history, a scrapbook, and photographs.

The biographical information(1953) consists of a letter written by Esther Dendel's mother, Grace Stanton Sietmann, to the University of Iowa Libraries, in response to a request made by the Special Collections Department for biographical information about Esther Dendel.

The book (1948) is about Denwar Ceramics and consists mainly of photo illustrations of the processes involved in creating the Denwar Dinnerware.

The Denwar Workshop (1988), a history of how Denwar Ceramics became a workshop and studio for education, was written by member Rosita Montgomery.

The oral history(1996) consists of seven audiocassettes shelved in the audiocassette collection and a transcript of the interviews. The oral history was done by Kathy Sulentic, a student at the University of Northern Iowa, and focuses on Esther Dendel's relationships with family and friends in Iowa, Liberia, and California.

The scrapbook (1922-1940 and undated) consists of photographs, letters, and newspaper clippings concerning Esther Sietmann's 4-H club membership and college life.

The photographs (1943-1945 and undated) are of the Dendel home in Costa Mesa, California and of art from Liberia.

Dates

  • Creation: 1922-1996

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Esther Sietmann Warner Dendel, author and artist, was born February 2, 1910, on a farm near Laurel, Iowa, to Lewis Sietmann and Grace Stanton Sietmann. She was an avid member of the 4-H club for six years, joining at the age of eleven; she became state 4-H president at the age of seventeen. She won numerous awards on local and national levels, which together gave her the money to attend her first year of college. Sietmann graduated from high school as valedictorian in 1927 and in the fall entered Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) in Ames, Iowa.

After two years at Iowa State College, Sietmann left to take a job as a Home Demonstration Agent with the Extension Department at the West Virginia Agricultural College. In 1936, she returned to Iowa State College, graduating from the Home Economics Department in 1938. Following graduation she received a Lydia Roberts Fellowship and entered Columbia University in New York City. After one year at Columbia she obtained her master's degree in art, with an emphasis in sculpture.

Sietmann was married on December 9, 1939 to botanist Robert Warner, whom she had met at Iowa State College. In 1941, he was appointed Research Director for the Firestone Rubber Company Plantation in Liberia, Africa. While in Liberia, Esther Warner met Jo Dendel, who made prints to illustrate her first book about Africa, New Song in a Strange Land. She returned to the United States in December of 1943 and taught in the Art Department of the University of Minnesota at St. Paul.

She was divorced from Robert Warner and in 1945 moved to Costa Mesa, California, where she and Jo Dendel formed a business partnership called Denwar Ceramics. She was married to Jo Dendel in 1950. Denwar Studios became a place of education, where Esther and Jo Dendel hold a weekly informal workshop to teach their craft. The workshop began in the 1960s and was still active in 1997.

Extent

2.50 Linear Feet

7 Cassettes (Seven audiocassettes [AC400-AC406])

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Author and artist from Laurel, Iowa.

Method of Acquisition

The papers (donor no. 411) were donated by Esther Dendel in 1997. The oral history (donor no. 412) was donated by Professor Annette Lynch of the University of Northern Iowa in 1997.

Related Materials

Cynthia Hickok papers (IWA): Hickok was an apprentice to Esther and Jo Dendel at the Denwar Studios.

Twelve books written by Esther Dendel are held in the Iowa Authors Collection, Special Collections Department, University of Iowa Libraries.

Subject

Author
Jessica Miller, 1997; Lindsay Shannon, 2008; Laurel Rhame, 2014.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)