The Department of Extension at Iowa State College (University) was first established in 1906. Art and Design Extension most likely began with Applied Art specialists Maridel Kumbier and Lois J. Nuehring in 1970, with an emphasis on interior design and primary audiences among the elderly, youth, and 4-H. In 1978, following the organization of the College of Design, Applied Art became Art and Design Extension. The collection contains program files, directories, pamphlets, publications, posters, slide presentations, and audiocassettes. It documents Extension Art and Design programming, particularly that done by JaneAnn Stout, Art and Design Extension Specialist.

In 1906, the Iowa General Assembly appropriated funds to establish a Department of Extension at Iowa State College (University). Extension work in Iowa began earlier through the pioneering efforts of several people, including Mary B. Welch, James Wilson, and Perry Holden. Holden was appointed the first superintendent of Extension at Iowa State from 1906 to 1912. He focused on three branches of Extension work: demonstration farms, short courses, and education trains. In 1914, the U.S. Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act, creating a nationwide system of cooperative extension services that provide outreach activities through land-grant universities. The Act brought together funding at the national, state, and county levels to support the work of these cooperative extension services, and the program was administered through the United States Department of Agriculture. At ISU, the Department of Extension became Cooperative Extension Service in Agriculture and Home Economics. In 1966, University Extension was established by merging the short courses service group, farm demonstrations service group, engineering extension service group, and Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS, established in 1962). In 2006, University Extension became Extension and Outreach.

Art and Design Extension most likely began with the work of Applied Art specialists Maridel Kumbier and Lois J. Nuehring in 1970, with an emphasis on interior design and primary audiences among the elderly, youth, and 4-H. The program quickly expanded to a broader audience and incorporated new programming. In 1978, following the organization of the College of Design, Applied Art became Art and Design Extension.

Sources

Bliss, Ralph K. History of Cooperative Agriculture and Home Economics Extension in Iowa--The First Fifty Years. Ames, IA: Iowa State University of Science and Technology, 1960.

Extension and Outreach Annual Reports, RS 16/1/0/1, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Schwieder, Dorothy. 75 Years of Service: Cooperative Extension in Iowa. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1993.

This collection (1969-1990, undated) contains program files, directories, pamphlets, publications, posters, slide presentations, and audiocassettes. It documents Extension Art and Design programming, particularly that done by JaneAnn Stout, Art and Design Extension Specialist.

Related items at Iowa State University Library include:

• Extension and Outreach Annual Reports (RS 16/1/0/1)
• College of Design. Department of Art and Design Records (see RS 26/2)

The files are arranged alphabetically.