The recent discovery of two cartoons by noted Iowa artists will bring art enthusiasts from across the country to Ames, ISU library officials said.

The cartoons are scale drawings of murals John Bloom and his teacher, Grant Wood, used to make final murals displayed in Parks Library and the Tipton post office which have been displayed since the 1930s.

“John Bloom was a highly gifted and well trained artist with remarkable draftsmanship abilities, as well as being a very talented painter, sculptor and designer,” said Matthew DeLay, curator at the Brunnier Art Museum in the Scheman Building.

Although many mural paintings were created, few full-scale drawings exist to provide record of the artist’s working process. Those drawings were likely considered working objects and weren’t kept after the mural was completed, he said, adding Bloom probably stored these works in his attic for nearly 60 years.

The works were drawn on common brown butcher paper, which causes a problem for curators, said Ivan Hanthorn, conservator and associate professor at Parks Library. That paper is expected to be used and thrown away within a year of its creation, he said, so it has “lived” more than 70 years, but started “dying” about 65 years ago.

A process called acid hydrolysis causes the paper to break down and become more acidic and brittle, Hanthorn said. This paper is not able to be “restored,” he said — it can only be repaired and fortified against further decay.

Under President Franklin Roosevelt, the works were commissioned as part of the Public Works of Art Project, DeLay said. The project created many paintings and sculptures for public spaces throughout the United States.

“We can enjoy these works of art today in places like the Parks Library, the Ames downtown post office and the Food Science Courtyard, where Christian Petersen created the largest known sculptural project under the [public art project],” DeLay said. There are only five surviving Public Works of Art Project cartoons, Hanthorn said, and two are at Iowa State.

“Coming across a full scale drawing for a [public art project] is rare as only a handful are known to exist,” DeLay said. “Almost impossibly rare, then, is finding two mural drawings with a direct link to Grant Wood, ISU and our mural tradition done by a significant Iowa artist who worked side by side with Grant Wood.”

There are three artists that most Iowans know by name, Hanthorn said: Grant Wood, Christian Petersen and John Bloom.

“[These artists] will make us a great regional site for people who want to see great art from the ’30s,” Hanthorn said.

Conservation efforts are being made to stabilize and mount the large scale drawings so they can be enjoyed by Iowans and visitors in the future, DeLay said.

To display the cartoons, 14-by-nine foot frames were built by an outside contractor, Hanthorn said. There is a special backing, matching the color of the original work, to help support the pieces when they are hung, he said.

The cartoons will be on display in the university museum in the near future. Lynette Pohlman, director of the university museums, was not available to comment on exactly where they will be placed.