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Paintings by Rosie Freeman at Ozarks Medical Center; Everyone Invited to Oct. 1st Reception

Ozarks Medical Center (OMC) is hosting an art reception on Monday, October 1 at 11:00 a.m. in the main lobby. Everyone is invited to attend.

“Mills of the Ozarks,” featuring the works of artist Rosie Augusta Grandt Freeman, will be on display in the main lobby of OMC. The original paintings of Turner Mill, Hodgson Mill, Dawt Mill, Greer Mill, Alley Spring Mill, and a winter barn scene have been loaned to OMC by Rosie and her family.

Rosie Augusta Grandt Freema

Rosie’s artistic talent came to her through her father and grandfather who immigrated to the United States in the mid 1920s. Both were artists in Germany using multiple mediums. As a child, Rosie was surrounded by creative and artistic influences.

In her early 1920s, Rosie was poised to travel to Europe to continue her artistic studies but after graduating from the Kansas City Art Institute and working for Hallmark Cards, fate played its hand. She met the love her life, whom she married and settled with in her new home in Oregon County, Missouri. Deep in the Ozarks, in the town of Thayer, Missouri, she continued to see everything with an artist’s eye, and her talent flourished. As she was a bit bohemian for this part of the country, folks raised an eyebrow or two seeing her barefoot, in jeans, sitting near the railroad track sketching the trains that ran through the community. Everything was a magical opportunity to paint.

Rosie’s reputation grew and so did the respect she garnered in the community and surrounding area. Although she did not seek a commercial outlet for her art, she was generous with gifts for so many individuals. She was active in many community activities, creating flyers, posters, and logos over the years that promoted school and community events with professional and creative visual approaches. Her love of art is pure and grounded in self-expression.

In May, 2018, Rosie relocated from her Oregon County home in Missouri to another Oregon in beautiful Hood River. The relocation process presented an unexpected opportunity to grasp the scope and talent of her art collection. 

The paintings on display were painted in the late 1960s to early 1970s. The canvases were mounted on Rosie’s dining room walls and remained there until recently when her children, Patrick and Christine removed them. The paintings were cleaned and restored and have been framed for everyone who visits OMC to enjoy. 

For more information about the reception, contact OMC Marketing and Public Relations Department at 417-257-6735.