Ozarks artists depict Rose O'Neill's activism, playfulness in new downtown Branson mural

Within a couple of weeks, a new mural will be completed in downtown Branson celebrating the life of a woman whose story is often untold.

For more than a year, Missouri artists Christine Riutzel and Delanie Johnson have been planning the execution of a 21-by-28-foot mural dedicated to Rose O'Neill. Located on the south side of the Branson Centennial Museum in downtown Branson, they hope to have the mural completed by mid-May.

An artist, writer and activist, O'Neill gained international recognition in the early 1900s for her creation of the Kewpie, a cherub-like character doll. For much of her life, O'Neill lived on a 15.58-acre property known as Bonniebrook with her family and traveling artists. Today, the property is home to the Bonniebrook Art Gallery and Kewpie Museum , which showcases O'Neill's life, homestead and family graveyard.

The large mural, which the artists have been working on for four weeks, depicts an array of events in O'Neill's life and career. O'Neill sits at the center of the mural, preparing to write or draw inside of a journal, surrounded by Kewpies that climb on the table and pull at her hair. Kewpies are known for being joyful, mischievous characters.

The right side of the mural is dedicated to the Bonniebrook Art Gallery and Kewpie Museum. O'Neill's green, Victorian-style house is seen behind a collage of flowers representing her love of gardening. Hollister-based artist Mary Evelyn Tucker has been helping paint the mural's flowers, which are scattered throughout. O'Neill's popularly-recognized wispy signature hangs above the home and a short script below indicates Bonniebrook's proximity to Branson.

Two other notable features within the mural include O'Neill's suffragist Kewpies and her failed Ho-Ho doll.

Often depicting progressive concepts in her work, O'Neill created numerous works for the Suffragist Movement. One of her most popular designs, which is seen on t-shirts and buttons today, is of three Kewpies playing instruments and holding a flag that reads, "Vote for Women." These three Kewpies made their way onto the mural — in Riutzel and Johnson's own way.

In addition to the Kewpies scattered across the mural, a laughing Buddha-like character sits on the desk near O'Neill. Before her death in 1944, O'Neill pursued one last creative endeavor, the creation of a doll called the Ho-Ho. O'Neill manufactured the dolls at Bonniebrook with her sister Callista, but they never took off. Several different Ho-Hos are on display at the Bonniebrook Art Gallery and Kewpie Museum.

More: This Missouri museum celebrates Kewpie doll creator Rose O'Neill's legacy in art, toys

Learning about Rose

Riutzel, who is based in Hollister, and Johnson, who is based in Kansas City, only recently learned about O'Neill and were surprised that she isn't more widely discussed. Riutzel said she learned about O'Neill and the origin of the Kewpie around 2017, when she was asked to participate in a State of the Ozarks live painting event held at the Bonniebrook Art Gallery and Kewpie Museum.

"I was like, 'I don't really care about the Kewpies,' but once I went to the gallery to see her fine artwork, I was like, 'Oh, this woman is such a bad***. I want to know more about her,'" Rituzel recalled.

In addition to the Kewpie, O'Neill created fine artwork. One of her most notable collections was her "Sweet Monsters," a series that depicted mythological characters, often human-like figures meshed with animal bodies. Riutzel pays homage to the collection in the mural, with several "Sweet Monsters" characters on the outer edges.

Around the same time Riutzel painted at Bonniebrook, Johnson stumbled across the art gallery and museum for the first time with a friend.

"I was blown away and honestly kind of offended because why did I not know about this woman?" Johnson said.

More: Gen Z's latest fad, Sonny Angel figurines, pull inspiration from Rose O'Neill's Kewpie

Ultimately, Riutzel and Johnson hope their mural inspires artists from the Ozarks.

"We thought, if we would have heard her story, we would have been really inspired," Johnson said. "A lot of people think they need to look outside the Ozarks to find art and culture, but you really don't. Rose is kind of the epitome of art and culture and she's from right here."

Want to support the project? Here's how

Since getting the project started last year, Riutzel and Johnson have raised about $3,000, which has covered the basics, like renting a lift. But ultimately, the artists would like to raise more, to help pay for the cost of paint and their labor. For the last four weeks, Riutzel and Johnson have been working four days on and three days off, painting from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In addition to donations that can be made via Venmo (@Rosemural), Cash App ($RoseMural) and PayPal (RoseMural), the artists are also selling Rose O'Neill-inspired merchandise. Through her Etsy shop, ShowMeStateofMind , Johnson is selling Kewpie stickers ($5) and pins ($9) and prints ($10) of the mural.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozarks artists depict Rose O'Neill's activism, playfulness in new downtown Branson mural