James C. Kulhanek

{{Infobox artist

| name = James C. Kulhanek

| image = Self Portrait by artist James C. Kulhanek (1974),.jpg

| caption = Self-Portrait by Kulhanek

| birth_date = {{birth date|1908|04|23}}

| birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio

| death_date = {{death date and age|1990|04|01|1908|04|23}}

| death_place = Cleveland, Ohio

| education = Cleveland School of Art

| known_for = Painting, drawing, commercial art

| notable_works =

| spouse =

| signature =

}}

James Charles Kulhanek (April 23, 1908 – April 1, 1990) was an American commercial artist and designer.

Biography

Václav Kulhánek and Anna Kulhánek, née Veleba, the parents of James C. Kulhanek, were born in Bohemia within Austria-Hungary and settled in Cleveland in the 1900s. James C. Kulhanek was born there on April 23, 1908.{{Cite encyclopedia |date=October 25, 2022 |title=Kulhanek, James Charles |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/k/kulhanek-james-charles |access-date=2023-04-22 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University}}

Kulhanek was a student of Henry Keller at the Cleveland School of Art.{{Cite news |last=Cullinan |first=Helen |date=March 19, 1978 |title=Downtown Scene - Three Painters: James C. Kulhanek |pages=131 |work=The Plain Dealer |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=collinwood%20kulhanek&docref=image/v2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-12FF152030FA56DB%402443587-12FEBBC0C29C2952%40130-12FEBBC0C29C2952%40 |access-date=April 24, 2023}}

In 1938, Kulhanek was a witness to an incident at Brookside Zoo where Judy Zemnick, another WPA artist, was pulled into a polar bear enclosure and clawed. Kulhanek and another artist called for help and tried to drive the bear away from Ms. Zemnick.{{Cite news |date=October 27, 1938 |title=Clawed 15 Minutes by Bear, Girl Artist to Live but Lose Eye |pages=1 |work=The Plain Dealer |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=EANX-NB&req_dat=0D1C2ED46ABD2E15&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A122AFBBA107AC9E4%2540EANX-NB-1268C9C926531B44%25402429199-1268C6CFCE7FC298%25400-1268C6CFCE7FC298%2540./hlterms%3A |access-date=May 8, 2023}} The incident received extensive press coverage at the time and for two years following.

Work

Between 1935 and 1942, Kulhanek received Federal Art Project commissions through New Deal Works Progress Administration- sponsored art projects, such as the rendering of several prints of elks, great horned owls,{{Cite web |last=Brent |date=June 8, 2018 |title=New Deal Bird Art (6/10): "Great Horned Owl" |url=https://nddaily.blogspot.com/2018/06/new-deal-bird-art-610-great-horned-owl.html |access-date=2023-04-22 |website=New Deal of the Day}} and reindeer, now in the collection of Case Western University.{{Cite news |date=October 27, 1938 |title=Figures In Zoo Tragedy and Rescue of Artist from Bear |pages=1 |work=Plain Dealer |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-1268C9C926531B44%402429199-1268C6CFCE7FC298%400-1268C6CFCE7FC298%40. |access-date=April 22, 2023}}{{Cite web |title=Work Progress Administration: Prints of the Federal Arts Project|url=https://digital.case.edu/islandora/object/ksl:wpaPrints?sort=fgs_label_ss%20asc&islandora_solr_search_navigation=0&f%5B0%5D=mods_name_personal_creator_namePart_ms:%22Kulhanek,%5C%20James%5C%20C.%22 |access-date=2023-04-22|publisher=Case Western Reserve University}} He also painted panels to be installed in the hallways of Collinwood and Lincoln High Schools as well as the Federal Courthouse. Shortly before Kulhanek's death, the artist painted a portrait of former Cleveland mayor Dennis Kucinich, who actually sat for Kulhanek, although the portrait was never displayed in Cleveland City Hall.{{Cite news |last=Naymilk |first=Mark |date=March 9, 2010 |title=Cleveland City Hall still is lacking a portrait of former Mayor Dennis Kucinich |work=Cleveland.com |url=https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2010/03/cleveland_city_hall_still_is_l.html |access-date=July 29, 2023}}