Origin Story
Windom School, watercolor by Tatiana Murray, all rights reserved.
Once upon a time there were three Queens, Nefertiti, Cleopatra, and Hatshepsut. They met every Friday morning to crown themselves with art. They were happy and the land prospered. Believing deeply in the power of art to change the world for the better, they often talked of an art colony, an art school, a gallery - some sort of local place for those who valued art to gather and share and grow. They dreamed, and the dreams were lovely yet distant, in the realm of fairy tales.
The mother of one of the queens grew old and became increasingly unable to care for herself. She fell ill, needing 24-hour care in a skilled nursing center. Soon it became clear that she would never be able to come back to the little cottage that she called home - the cottage that Queen Hatshepsut had saved from ruin and dearly loved. As the months passed, Queen H realized the necessity of selling the cottage and reluctantly put it on the market. An offer was received and fell through. Another offer came and failed. A third offer was received and each milestone in the sales process passed one by one without incident. Word spread that the buyers were from the frozen wilds of New England. The community tittered - what had drawn them to this tiny town in the hinterlands of north Texas?
The closing date came, the cottage had new owners, but the weeks passed without anyone moving in. The community tittered - who were these new neighbors and when would they appear? Then signs of activity, signs of life at the cottage, then a moving truck. They were here.
Yet more weeks passed. Queen H took her daily walk and watched in vain for an opportunity to introduce herself. Lo and behold, the day came. The new neighbors were sitting outside in their pavilion when Queen H and a friend passed by. Introductions and happy conversation followed. The neighbors now had names, Tatiana and Jim, and the most delightful fact of all was that Tatiana was an artist.
The queens conferred and an invitation was extended. Tatiana would join a Friday morning gathering. The three queens buzzed with excitement as the day approached. It hardly took an hour on that bright morning for enlightenment to dawn. The Queens, though they had not realized it, had been missing some vital element and she had arrived. From the cardinal directions, we had been drawn to one another, and now became complete. Tatiana was crowned Queen Helene and three queens became four.
Tatiana had a dream, too. A dream of an art school. Having taught children before, she longed to teach again. Her dreams were not distant, but real and insistent. The queens began seriously discussing a venue. Inquiries were quietly made. Possibilities opened up. One possibility turned into true opportunity. The queens marshaled their resources and the Windom Art School was born.
“That we who need each other
Will find one another.
That we may follow the lines
That will lead us
To the kindred of our souls.
That our tribe will grow
And prosper
And be a blessing.
That we may be the beauty
In which we long to dwell.”
Text, other than poem by Jan Richardson, by Wanda Oliver, all rights reserved.
