“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing that I wanted to do.”

Georgia Totto O’Keeffe, born in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin in 1887, became a well-known artist during her lifetime. The city of Sun Prairie has recognized the artist with a brown historical marker and an avenue named in her honor. In addition, there’s a sizable O’Keeffe exhibit at the Sun Prairie Historical Museum, and a blue historical sign marks where the O’Keeffe farmstead once stood.

O’Keeffe left Wisconsin at age 15 to study art. She established herself as one of the world’s greatest painters. Though she never lived in her home state again, Sun Prairie is proud to claim rights as her birthplace.

I moved to Sun Prairie in 2020 and have enjoyed discovering the ways the city remembers O’Keeffe, one of its most celebrated residents.

This brown historical marker is located next to City Hall at 300 East Main Street in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The marker reads:

This world-renowned artist was born in the Town of Sun Prairie on November 15, 1887. She was the second of seven children born to Francis and Ida O’Keeffe. Georgia grew up on the family farm south of the city of Sun Prairie. As a child, she received art lessons and her abilities were recognized and encouraged by local teachers and family throughout her school years.

 After O’Keeffe left Sun Prairie, she pursued studies at the Art Institute of Chicago (1905-1906) and at the Art Students League, New York (1907-1908). Her works include a range from American abstracts, to New York cityscapes, oversized flowers and landscape interpretation of the Southwest United States.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s work spans over sixty years. She died in Santa Fe, NM in 1986 at the age of 98.

 Erected 2002

Wisconsin Historical Society

The Sun Prairie Historical Library & Museum stands at 115 East Main Street in what was once the city’s Public Library building. Before 1924, the home of the first settler of the area and his family stood on the lot. The Charles Bird family home was donated to the city in 1922 as a memorial to this first settler and his family. Due to its condition, it was removed and replaced with the current building, Sun Prairie’s first public library.

 Georgia O’Keeffe, known as “The Mother of American Modernism,” is remembered with a dedicated room in the museum.

O’Keeffe is also memorialized with an avenue in her name. This sign stands at one of the busiest intersections of the city.

 

 

An unremarkable blue and white sign marks the birthplace of Georgia O’Keeffe. It’s not obvious or easy to spot from the country road.

The large, white O’Keeffe family home was destroyed by fire in the 1970’s, but the blue sign stands in remembrance at 2405 County Hwy T, Sun Prairie.

 

“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so. They have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”

Georgia O’Keeffe

 

 

by Lori Lipsky

Turquoise Parade: Stories

Used Cookie Sheets: Very Short Stories

I’ve always loved receiving personal letters in the mail. I suppose many of us do. As a mother of grown children, I had started to believe that younger adults and children had embraced texting and communicating via social media, and they no longer had use for snail mail. I was wrong.

With the isolation brought on by the pandemic, there’s been a boom in snail mail. Pen pals are as popular as they ever were, if not more so. Some popular hashtags for the pen pal movement are #snailmailing #penpalsearch #snailmaillove #penpaling #snailmailrevolution #penpalswanted, #bringbackpaper, and #outgoingmail. The pen pal movement seems driven by teens and young women, but hashtags such as #penpals over 30, #penpalsover40, and #penpalsover50 prove the craze is not just among the youth.

Try Happy Mail

Sending happy mail is a closely related trend. To check it out, search the term “happymail” on Pinterest, or check out these hashtags on Instagram: #happymailideas #happymailswap #happymail #happymailday

Devoting time to decorate (and even create) envelopes brings happiness to others. The sender puts in effort so that the recipient is excited to receive their mail. Happy mail is not a bill and it’s not junk. It’s a letter from a friend who has spent time and a bit of money to bring cheer to your day.

I love seeing photos on social media of the beautifully decorated envelopes, but I’m not very good at that sort of thing. Then I read an article written a while back entitled “Envelope Art for the Unartistic.” That’s me. My envelopes won’t be gorgeous like many I’ve seen, but I’m excited to participate anyway.

 

 

Many small businesses, like Etsy shops, have popped up to sell stickers, rubber stamps, and vintage postage stamps for snail mail fans. I’ve given into the trend. This week I purchased stickers and started using them on the front of envelopes. I also bought vintage postage stamps from a few different sellers on Etsy. Then, I drove to Hobby Lobby to buy a container to store my stickers and stamps. What fun.

 

Another wonderful, related trend is tucking in gifts along with your letter (the gifts must comply with USPS rules— being under ¼” thick, for instance). If you enjoy giving gifts as I do, you’ll love this trend. See the list below for some fun ideas.

Seven Tips to Liven your Snail Mail and Bring Delight to the Recipient

1. Draw pictures or add stickers to the front and/or back of the envelope
2. Try creating your own envelope.
3. Address your snail mail using calligraphy or special lettering.
4. Use colored markers, colored gel pens, and/or washi tape
5. Purchase attractive postage stamps. Consider floral stamps or art stamps. Or focus on a single color using vintage stamps. Some sellers on Etsy even sell vintage postal stamps packaged by color.

6.  Give something of yourself when you write. Tell about your day, your thoughts, your dreams. Go deeper than the “How are you? and I am fine” letters of your youth. Ask questions.

7. Include a small gift or gifts along with your handwritten letter. Here are some ideas:

• Tea bags or hot cocoa packets
• Poem
• Greeting card
• Flat candy like Airheads
• Article
• Stick of gum
• Small book
• Coin of interest
• Gift card
• Photo
• Postcard or art card

 

Choosing Recipients

Who would appreciate receiving happy mail from you? Here are a few thoughts:

• A relative
• A widow in your life
• A friend
• Someone you’d like to thank
• An assisted living resident
• A classmate
• An online friend
• A colleague
• A missionary
• A current or former neighbor
• A pen pal

Who came to mind when you read the list? That might be a good place to start.

Happy Writing!

Lori Lipsky