Dorothy Meredith

Dorothy Meredith
Born
Dorothy Laverne Meredith

(1906-11-17)November 17, 1906
DiedJuly 6, 1986(1986-07-06) (aged 79)
Washington County, Wisconsin, US
Alma materLayton School of Art, Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee, Cranbrook Academy of Art
Known forFiber art

Dorothy Laverne Meredith (1906 – 1986)[1] was an American artist and educator. She was known for her fiber art and abstract watercolor paintings.

Early life and education

Dorothy Laverne Meredith was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on November 17, 1906, to Ida Simmerling and William Meredith.[2][3] Her mother was also an artist.[4] She attended Layton School of Art, and graduated in 1927, followed by Milwaukee State Teachers College (now known as Wisconsin State College of Milwaukee) and graduated in 1933 with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.).[1] Additionally she got a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she studied with Maija Grotell.[1][5] Meredith was active in the New Deal Federal Art Project in Wisconsin.[6]

Career

Her early teaching roles included the Winnebago Day School in Menasha, Lincoln School in Highland Park, and Peckham Junior High School in Milwaukee.[1][7] For many years she was an art professor specializing in fiber arts and textiles at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.[8] In summers she taught at Ox Bow School of Art and Artists Residency in Saugatuck, Michigan.[1] She later was a professor emeritus at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.[1]

In 1965, Meredith traveled to 11 different countries to enhance the courses she taught, including travels to India, Pakistan, Japan.[8] She sought to learn traditional textile techniques in each international region, and she had travelled to rural locations to do so.[8]

She was the secretary and president of the Wisconsin Designer Craftsmen's organization (now known as the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council).[1] Meredith was one of the founding members of the Wisconsin Watercolor Society.[9] She also was a member of the Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors, and Midwest Designer Craftsmen.[8]

In 1960, Meredith was elected a life fellow of the International Institute of Arts and Letters.[8] In 1975, Meredith was an American Craft Council (ACC) fellow.[10]

Meredith died on July 6, 1986, in Washington County, Wisconsin.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Dorothy Laverne Meredith". MOWA Online Archive, Museum of Wisconsin Art. 2002. Archived from the original on 2016-08-19. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  2. ^ "Dorothy Meredith - Biography". Askart.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  3. ^ "Dorothy Laverne Meredith in the Wisconsin, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1801-1928". Ancestry.com. State of Wisconsin. 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-02-14. FHL Film Number: 1305132
  4. ^ "Wisconsin Artists; Society of Milwaukee Artists Surnames starting with M-O - Milwaukee County Wisconsin". Linkstothepast.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2021-02-06. Meredith, Mrs.William, 1935, 1936: Meredith, Wm (Ida)
  5. ^ "Milwaukee Art Museum Magazine 2020 Feb–May". Issuu. Milwaukee Art Museum. February 2020. p. 14. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  6. ^ "Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids: Additional Descriptive Information". Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  7. ^ "Appoint Teacher To Fill Vacancy At Day School". Newspapers.com. Appleton The Post-Crescent. 12 February 1936. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Program on Fabrics for Women's Club". Newspapers.com. Wausau Daily Herald. 7 October 1966. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  9. ^ "Celebrating the Beauty of Watercolors, New Visions To Feature State Exhibition". Newspapers.com. Marshfield News-Herald. 3 October 1986. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  10. ^ "College of Fellows". American Craft Council. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  11. ^ "Dorothy Meredith in the Wisconsin, U.S., Death Index, 1959-1997". Ancestry.com. Wisconsin Department of Health, State of Wisconsin. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Certificate: 016053