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News Updates
Johnson Historic Ornament Displayed On Official White House Christmas Tree
Local artists Martha Scull, left, and Patti Lane display the Christmas tree ornament they designed and painted representing the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site and the bicentennial of Andrew Johnson’s birth. The ornament is being displayed this season on the official White House Christmas Tree. Photo Special to The Sun.
Source: The Greeneville Sun
by Tom Yancey
Date: 2007-12-08
A Christmas ornament featuring Andrew Johnson which was painted by local artists Martha Scull and Patti Lane is prominently displayed on this year's official White House Christmas Tree.
The tree is the centerpiece of elaborate decorations at the White House celebrating the theme of "Holiday in the National Parks."
Scull and Lane designed the ornament to represent the bicentennial of Andrew Johnson's birthday, said Lizzie Watts, superintendent of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.
"We're flattered and pleased," Lane said Friday in a telephone interview.
Lane, who together with other local artists operates the Artspace4 Gallery on Main Street, said she was contacted in early autumn by Jim Small, director of operations for the Johnson site, who "came to my gallery one day and asked if I would do it."
Lane said she was already overcommitted and "called everybody that I knew, but no one would do it. To make a long story short, I finally called my friend Martha, and asked her to collaborate. She came over to my house, and we did."
Ornament Is 'Pretty Big'
Lane said the White House "sent the ornament," which is "pretty big" -- about the size of an ostrich egg -- but it was plain white.
She said she and Scull, who is president of the Greeneville Arts Council, decided they wanted "something about the region" as well as about Johnson.
Lane explained that they chose "the best portrait photograph we thought had ever been made of him" and then super-imposed a sepia-toned print of the portrait over a mountain scene that they drew.
For the other side of the ornament, they used the tall obelisk from the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, where the 17th President and his immediate family are buried, and a background of grave markers "as a tribute to fallen veterans."
Lane said the decoration also included a night sky with stars that the two artists thought "was a reference to his presidency," which was troubled.
Her formal description for the National Park Service said the ornament is "mixed media that features Andrew Johnson on one side and Johnson's monument atop Monument Hill on the other. It was very important to us to also include the national cemetery as a remembrance of our fallen veterans."
Invited To White House
Watts said a request has been made to the National Park Service to replicate the ornament for fundraising during the Johnson Bicentennial, which begins Dec. 29 and continues for a full year.
If a satisfactory way to reproduce the ornaments can be worked out, Watts said, plans call for making them available for sale in time for Christmas 2008.
According to the news release, both Scull and Lane were invited to a White House reception to receive recognition for their work but were unable to attend.
"They didn't give us enough notice" to make arrangements and get a reasonable rate on air tickets," Lane said.
National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar stated in the news release, "It is an amazing honor for the National Park Service to be selected as the theme for the White House holiday decorations by the President and Mrs. Bush."
She added, "Mrs. Bush is the best champion for our national parks, and the beautiful decorations in each state room showcase the natural and historical treasures found in parks throughout the country."
Tree In 'Blue Room'
The NPS tree, located in the Blue Room at the White House, is adorned with handmade ornaments representing the country's 391 National Park Service sites.
"Each ornament on the magnificent 18-foot North Carolina Fraser fir was designed by an artist selected by the park," said Bomar. "The ornaments tell the stories of our parks, just as our parks tell the stories of our nation."
The Andrew Johnson ornament designed by Lane and Scull was selected by the White House as the Tennessee ornament to represent the state on the White House Web page.
The White House ornaments may be viewed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/2007/index.html.
The holiday displays incorporate the wide variety of natural, cultural, and recreational features preserved by the National Park Service across the country.
Models of icons such as the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the Statue of Liberty share space with paintings of scenic vistas from the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Rocky Mountain national parks.
Holiday garlands intertwined with park objects including seashells, pine cones, and gold aspen leaves add to each room's festive feel.
NPS Centennial Coming
A highlight of the decorations is a scaled-down, but architecturally accurate, gingerbread reproduction of the south view of the White House, which is a unit of the National Park Service.
The edible masterpiece includes Bush family pets Barney, Miss Beazley, and Willie frolicking on the lawn with moose, elk, raccoons, and other animals found in national parks.
"National Parks commemorate the people, places, and events that define the American experience," said Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.
"I am so appreciative of President Bush's efforts to recognize the important role of national parks in American society
"Our country will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, and the President has been instrumental in establishing the National Park Centennial Initiative to prepare the parks for the next century."
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