Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff
Abbie Winch Christensen
Housemother (Far House) 1924-1928;
Teacher, English Folk Dancing 1927-1949;
Teacher, Weaving, and Mechanical Drawing 1944-1949

ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Art

---

TAGS: Abbie Winch Christensen, art, calendars, memorials, calligraphy, WWII casualties, painting, poetry

---

The art of Abbie Winch Christensen at Pine Mountain is not a large body of work, but it gives a glimpse of the multiple talents of the long-time staff member at the School. Abbie Winch had multiple artistic skills including calligraphy, oil painting, weaving, and design. The following items allow a brief introduction to her skills.

ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN ART: “In Memoriam”

When Laurel House I burned in 1941 the world was locked into war in Europe. It was a period of great stress for Pine Mountain with rationing of food, the uncertainty of funding, and most importantly the departure of many of the young men who had graduated or were still students who departed to join the fight. Some of those young men did not return from WWII. The badly damaged plaque, above, designed by Abbie Winch Christensen, lists the names of Pine Mountain students who were killed early in the conflict. They included

Herbert Bunch
Robert Creech
Sylvan Hayes
Raymond Pennington
Hobart Shepherd
John Stephens

The “In Memoriam” plaque possibly hung in the first Laurel House I. When this central building burned in 1941 a new Laurel House II was built, and the small-framed plaque was either created during this time or was salvaged from the previous building. The plaque was hung in the main Dining Room of Laurel House II on the South wall and remained there until 2016.

Just when “In Memoriam” was damaged is not clearly understood. It may have suffered damage when removed from the burning Laurel House I or, most likely, it suffered damage along with other pictures (particularly watercolor paintings by John A. Spelman III) that were hanging on a wall in Laurel House II when a large roof leak occurred in the 1980s.

In any event, the small “In Memoriam” suffered serious damage but it remained, damaged, on the walls of Laurel House II until it was removed in 2016. When the work was dismantled to explore the damage and to clean the framed art, a small monogram was discovered in the lower left-hand corner of the paper in the scroll-work — “AWC,” or Abbie Winch Christensen, could be the only name that would fit as the artist behind the tribute. She would have known all the young men on the “In Memoriam” list. Her sorrow at the loss can be seen in the loving care she gave to the small plaque. 

---

ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN ART: 1947 Calendar

The 1947 CALENDAR is a beautiful addition to the long history of calendars produced by Pine Mountain Settlement School for its Friends. Like “In Memoriam” the calendar also honors the women and men and the families of the Pine Mountain community. The poem by Ruth E. Campbell from “Mountain Tributary,” which accompanies the beautiful painting by Abbie Winch Christensen, calls forward the deep poverty and despair of the time but also the beauty and hope that sits just on the crest of the mountain. Ruth E. Campbell, a friend of Pine Mountain, had collaborated with artist and Pine Mountain staff, John A. Spelman III, in the first publication of her book Cloud Walking.

In this painting, the abundant Mountain Laurel is foregrounded and a small mountain cabin and out-building sit beside a narrow path. The blue Pine Mountain rises above the scene. The medium is not known but appears to be oil. The original painting is not currently held by the School and its location is unknown.

---

See Also:

ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Biography

ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Correspondence 1937
ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Correspondence 1936
ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Correspondence 1935
ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Correspondence 1933
ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Correspondence 1928

ABBIE WINCH CHRISTENSEN Art
Publications PMSS CALENDAR 1947

---