Interviewee: Erika Oeschler Luitweiler
Date of birth: 1925
Interviewer: unknown
Interview date: circa 1978
Interview location: unknown
Interview length: 27 minutes
Time span discussed: 1930 until 1978
Summary: Erika was a New Hope-Solebury art education teacher who turned her hand to poetry writing and art collecting. The first interview is undated but likely from the late 1970s and covers her early years through her putting together a traveling slide show of American artists that introduced grade-school children to art, artists, and art history.
Time markers:
00:00 – born in Switzerland
00:20 – early art work in kindergarten, her father’s art work; Switzerland to Detroit in 1930, father returned to Switzerland 1932
03:40 – attended Wayne State; two high school teachers’ influence; art education lead to a teaching career
07:16 – teaching and other jobs, moves to several states and then Bucks County
13:19 – more moves, eventually to Bucks County; taught at Buckingham Friends and New Hope-Solebury public schools
15:40 – women’s struggle to do art work and take care of family
16:48 – upset about lack of art education for children; collected series of slides of American artists’ work to show children in elementary schools, visits schools every year
21:28 – first two centers of American art were Philadelphia (West and Peale) and Boston (Copley); stories of artists during Revolution
23:40 – continues about slide shows, visits to seven schools, impact on children who recognize her
