Sacred Heart Alums and Friends of the IHMA view Hildreth Meière's commissions in Washington, D.C.

Clockwise: National Academy of Sciences (book and inside); Hilly Dunn, Michele Finn,
MER, Ginny Coudert, Liz Leckie, and Louise Meiere Dunn; Liz Leckie and Louise Dunn,
Anna Kupik with her grandmother Louise, Anna Kupik with her mother Hilly,
and David Bowers and wife Barbara 

It is hard to believe that over two weeks have passed since I have posted to this blog.  In addition to this post, I have uploaded many photos from my weekend in Washington, D.C. with Sacred Heart Alums and friends of the International Hildreth Meière Association (IHMA) as we toured various spots where Hildreth's commissions can be seen.

On Friday, April 20th (photo above) we gathered at the National Academy of Sciences building to tour Hildreth's first commission, The Main Foyer and Great Hall.

Earlier that afternoon we had an opportunity to view the West Interior Courtyard at the Municipal Center. The exterior frieze in glazed terracotta was commissioned in 1941.

On Saturday, I enjoyed lunch with my college roommate, her two sisters and niece - all Sacred Heart alums!

Saturday afternoon, I went to Georgetown University to learn more about The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière, and to buy the book and get it signed by the authors.  After the audience received a warm welcome by Ismini Lamb, Gregory Nagy and Zoie Lafis we heard from Kathleen Murphy Skolnik as she discussed "Hildreth Meière and the Classical Roots of Art Deco" followed by her co-author, Catherine Coleman Brawer who discussed "Designing Mosaics: Hildreth Meière and the Art of Collaboration".  It was inspiring to hear directly from the authors,  however,  the man of the hour was Antonio (Tony) Schiavo as he discussed "Restoring the Pillars of Herakles".  Tony came out of retirement to oversee the restoration of the panels that he originally worked on with Meière in 1960.

A highlight of the weekend was attending the evening reception at The Center for Hellenic Studies and seeing up close the two side panels that have been lovingly restored to their original beauty.

To view photos taken over the weekend in Washington, DC - click on either this link or the photo on the right side of the blog.

Hildreth Meière, AASH President 1957-1959
(1892-1961)

Wonderful article printed in the New York Times - If These Walls Could Speak, They'd Say Her Name

The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meiere

Upcoming Event for Hildeth Meiere
Saturday, April 26th at Georgetown University 

Come meet the authors on Saturday, April 26th at Georgetown University!  The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meiere by Catherine Coleman Brawer and Kathleen Murphy Skolnik can be ordered by clicking here. 


PRESS RELEASE

Scholars Rediscover a Lost American Artist

Book Celebrates 90th Anniversary of Her First Masterpiece

First Release from Andrea Monfried Editions

NEW YORK, NY March, 2014 — Ninety years after the completion of her first commission at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., a lost artist’s work is being recognized with a lavishly illustrated new book. Hildreth Meière (1892-1961) was a well-known American muralist surprisingly few have heard of today, though 100 of her masterpieces are hiding in plain sight in several American cities. On May 1, 2014, Andrea Monfried Editions will release the first monograph on her work, The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière by Catherine Coleman Brawer and Kathleen Murphy Skolnik, with photographs by the artist’s granddaughter Hildreth Meière Dunn and a foreword by noted architectural historian Richard Guy Wilson. The volume explores the life and work of the trailblazer behind some of the most spectacular murals of the 20th century. Nearly forgotten now, Meière achieved renown in an era when female artists rarely gained acceptance. In May 2014, her Pillars of Hercules (1960) will be accessible for the first time in decades, newly conserved and installed at Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. Also in May 2014, New York audiences can learn more about Meière’s monumental works when Open House New York organizes a “Meière Crawl” of the artist’s dazzling sites across Manhattan.

Hildreth Meière, 1924
AASH President (1957-1959)

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Born and educated in New York City, Hildreth Meière left her mark on the nation including: installations at the 1939 New York World’s Fair; Radio City Music Hall’s facade (iconic figures of Dance, Drama and Song); Saint Patrick’s Cathedral (altarpiece); the banking room at One Wall Street; St. Bartholomew’s Church (stained glass and shimmering gold narthex domes telling the story of Creation); Temple Emanu-El (arch and ark in the main sanctuary); and the Nebraska State Capitol. Leading architect Bertram G. Goodhue gave her her first major commission, the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., launching her career.

Tens of thousands of tiny glass or marble “tesserae” often appear in a single work designed by Meière and executed by European-trained craftsmen. An early proponent of Art Deco, she combined exquisite design with innovative materials and techniques during a five-decade career. In 1948 she was the first woman appointed to the New York City Art Commission, and in 1956 she became the first woman to receive the Fine Arts Medal of the American Institute of Architects. Illustrating subjects ranging from astronomy to women’s achievements, she drew upon such diverse sources as classical mythology, Byzantine mosaics, and Native American art. Dozens of her works in 16 states, from Nebraska to New York, engage hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. The authors have written The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière to lift her name out of obscurity.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Catherine Coleman Brawer is an art historian and curator. She is the author of Chinese Export Porcelain: The Elvehjem Museum of Art and The Studio Building and coauthor of Making Their Mark: Women Artists Move into the Mainstream, 1970–1985. She curated the exhibition Walls Speak: The Narrative Art of Hildreth Meière, which was shown in New York and Washington, D.C., and wrote the accompanying catalogue.

Kathleen Murphy Skolnik, an art and architectural historian, is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of History, Art History, and Philosophy at Roosevelt University in Chicago. She collaborated with Robert Bruegmann on The Architecture of Harry Weese and has contributed to the Chicago Architects Oral History Project of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the editor of the Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine and has written and lectured extensively on Art Deco– related topics.

Since 2007, Hildreth Meière Dunn has photographed more than 40 sites and more than 150 artworks created by her grandmother, Hildreth Meière. Her photographs have appeared in newspapers and magazines, including in the New York Times, Washington Post, Stamford Magazine, Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine, and the Blue Guide New York, and in television news and documentary programs on Meière’s work.

Richard Guy Wilson holds the Commonwealth Professor’s Chair in Architectural History at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He is the author or coauthor of sixteen books on American and modern architecture.

ABOUT ANDREA MONFRIED EDITIONS:

Andrea Monfried has directed over 200 illustrated books in her years at Rizzoli, Monacelli Press, as founding editor, and Random House. She founded Andrea Monfried Editions in 2012 to bring together her two-plus decades of editorial experience with her knowledge of production and marketing in the digital era. Her list includes works by exceptional artists, architects, photographers, and designers.

For further info: Contact, Lisa Dierbeck (917) 364-0755

The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Mosaic as seen in
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
by Hildreth Meière, AASH President 1957-1959

Tonight's abc news featured a story about a local artist who has opened the Chicago Mosaic School. Karen Ami, CMS Founder is teaching the ancient art of mosaics and recently acquired leftover material from the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.  This story reminded me of my first visit to the basilica where I saw the gorgeous mosaic of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne created by famed artist and Sacred Heart alumna Hildreth Meière.   

The above book will be published in May 2014
to order or for more info click here

Kathleen Murphy Skolnik an architectural historian recently collaborated with art historian Catherine Coleman Brawer on a new book The Art Deco Murals of Hildreth Meière  which will be published by Andrea Monfried Editions in May 2014.  The book is the first in-depth exploration of Meière who is considered a pioneer artist in the decorative approach to modernism known today as Art Deco and who helped to revolutionize twentieth century architectural decoration.