Lucille Cowherd

Lucille Cowherd was a painter who lived in Kansas City, Missouri, between 1935 and 1955. Her work was a critical part of the development of the local arts community before and after World War II. 

Lucille White was born on May 4, 1885, in St. Louis. She attended the St. Louis School of Fine Arts and the Illinois Institute of Technology Institute of Design in Chicago during the early 1900s. In 1935, she met Fletcher Cowherd, a realtor, at an art exhibition. The two were soon married, and Lucille Cowherd moved to Kansas City.

After graduating with a degree in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1949, Cowherd became deeply engaged with the local art scene. During the late 1940s, Kansas City was recovering from the effects of World War II, and new arts organizations were beginning to blossom. Cowherd joined the governing committee of the recently formed Mid-America Artists Association and promoted its membership. She chaired the Exhibitions Committee of the Kansas City Art Institute, and organized exhibitions at the Women's City Club, coordinating solo shows for local artists including Gertrude Freyman and Daniel MacMorris.

Lucille Cowherd was a prolific painter. From the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art to the Kansas City Art Institute, she frequently exhibited works in watercolor and oil. In 1935, she won an award at the Midwestern Artists' Exhibition. Cowherd participated in nearly all of the Mid-America Artists Association exhibitions, winning the Purchase Prize in 1951. Two years later, she had a large solo exhibition of textile designs and watercolor sketches at the Little Gallery of the University of Kansas City. Lucille Cowherd's painting A Phantom in the Garden has belonged to the Nelson-Atkins since 1956, when it was donated with a collection of works from the Mid-America Artists Association. 

Nature and gardening were major inspirations for Cowherd's work. She was interviewed several times by the Kansas City Star about her garden, in which she stated, "In your garden you can train yourself really to see. Watch lights and shadows. They play, dance, all but sing … Contrast and pattern is beauty and mystery"  (Kansas City Star, April 27, 1941).

In 1953, Fletcher Cowherd died, and soon after, Lucille Cowherd moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. She later married Robert Rutledge and continued painting and exhibiting her work. Lucille White Cowherd Rutledge died in 1975, leaving a legacy through her love of nature, painting, and promoting the arts.