by Avery Bishop
To be both a well known and an unknown local artist is a contradictory achievement in the wide world of the arts. Arnold E. Boedeker, who signed his art as Boedie, is one of these peculiar artists that locals in Akron can either greatly recall or have no idea who he was, even with the fact that he had painted scenes of the historic Howard Street.
Boedie (1893-1985) was born in Wisconsin, but his artistic presence was most felt in Akron, Ohio in the middle of the twentieth century. After being commissioned for commercial work for Goodyear, including having a hand in creating its iconic logo, his expertise in watercoloring led him to establish his own style. He joined and sometimes co-founded several groups to share his work, including the Whiskey Painters of America, the Akron Society of Artists, the Cuyahoga Valley Art Club, and more. However, it is in his time in and around Akron in which some of his art opens up a bit of mystery.
While some of Boedie’s work is archived online and locally, many of his pieces have not been scanned and remain as gifts or household centerpieces for friends and family. One of these pieces, the unnamed street piece above, is even more peculiar because of its apparent origins.
Based on recollection from its owner, the piece is supposedly a watercolor rendering of a part of Howard Street, or at the very least, inspired by areas like it. After all, at least one of Boedie’s paintings featured a Howard Street location: the Walsh Bros. Cigar Store on the corner of Market and Howard. This opens up a whole new mystery as another piece of the Howard Street puzzle; if this is a part of a block on either side of the area, what address is it representing?
The New Deal Food Store featured in the piece does not directly appear in any Akron city directory of the era it was probably produced in, so does this piece give us an artist slice of Howard Street or does it reflect another corner of both Akron and American Society in the middle of the twentieth century? Questions like these, as sometimes unanswerable as they are, can open so much more discussion about Howard Street and the arts in America.
Think you have got the answer or have additional information and thoughts on the beautiful art of Boedie? Reach out to us – our email (roundhowardstreet@gmail.com) and social media (@roundhowardstreetunclass) are always open as we continue our exploration and restoration of the history of Howard Street!
Links:
Institute for Human Science & Culture Blog 