Montserrat Alum Visits White House Celebration of her 2016 Christmas Ornament Design with First Lady Michelle Obama

Designer of White House ornament visits Washington, D.C. Montserrat grad attends reception with first lady
By Ethan Forman, Salem News, Oct. 16, 2016

Kayla Whelan was a student at Montserrat College of Art when her Christmas tree ornament caught the eye of the judges in the White House Historical Association’s first national art college design competition.

Her design, a tiny red fire truck, recalls the type of fire engine that responded to a 1929 Christmas Eve fire in the West Wing during Herbert Hoover’s administration.
In winning the competition, Whelan, now a graduate of Montserrat, got the honor of having her ornament adorn the Obamas’ final White House Christmas tree this year.

She was also invited to attend a reception Friday (Oct. 14, 2016) in Washington, D.C., celebrating the arts and specifically art at the White House. First lady Michelle Obama spoke at the reception.

“It was fantastic,” she said about getting to see and hear the first lady in person at the White House.

While Whelan did not get to meet the first lady, she was nevertheless impressed with her speech, which Whelan said was about “how important it is to maintain art in the White House and how they are maintaining it for future generations, and that was pretty exciting.”

On Thursday, October 6, Whelan also presented one of her ornaments to Salem Congressman Seth Moulton in his Salem office.

The White House Historical Association is a nonprofit organization that was founded by Jacqueline Kennedy with the goal of preserving and sharing the legacy of the Executive Mansion for future generations.
Whelan’s design is the association’s 36th official ornament in a series that began in 1981. The series honors U.S. presidents in sequential order and marks a significant White House historical anniversary.

Whelan said she was honored her work could be part of what is a living museum: the White House.

“It’s a huge honor for me,” Whelan said, “and it’s an honor to think it’s going to be part of this huge history.”

Whelan said she took Michelle Obama’s speech to heart.

“Because, obviously, art is really close to my heart,” Whelan said. “It’s a huge part of my life, and knowing they are making a huge effort to promote the art in the White House, and art in general, was important.”

Whelan got to pose with piece of work by artist Alma Thomas in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House. “Resurrection,” as the work is called, is the first work by an African-American woman to be displayed in the White House, Whelan said.

This was not the first time Whelan has traveled to Washington, D.C., due to her ornament design. In September, she was feted by the White House Historical Association for her design.

The ornament represents the type of engine that responded to a four-alarm fire that swept through the West Wing of the White House on Christmas Eve in 1929. Hoover was hosting a Christmas party for his staff and their children in the East Wing when the fire broke out.

The blaze was responded to by 130 firefighters from 19 engine companies and four truck companies. While the fire caused extensive damage to the West Wing, no one was injured. The ornament also honors the firefighters who responded and symbolizes the toy fire trucks the Hoovers presented to children the following Christmas.

Whelan said she researched the Hoover administration and read everything she could about it before hitting on this story.

“It was a cool Christmas story,” she said. “It was perfect.”

Whelan received a $5,000 cash prize for her winning entry, and the college received a $50,000 scholarship from the White House Historical Association, which plans to produce 1 million ornaments.

A Pelham, New Hampshire native, Whelan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in graphic design from Montserrat. She created the ornament in her graphic design class called “Design Factory” with Professor John Colan, chairman of the design department, in her junior year.

Whelan, 23, is presently working part-time as a freelance graphic designer with the aim of working full-time in the arts.

The ornaments are American made by ChemArt in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

Whelan’s ornament is also available at the association’s retail stores in Washington, D.C., and online at Shop.WhiteHouseHistory.org for $20.95. Locally, it will be available at Montserrat College of Art’s three-day art sale, which takes place from Tuesday, Nov. 18, to Thursday, Nov. 20, at 23 Essex St. in Beverly.