Constance Forsyth (1903–1987) was an American artist, teacher, and printmaker. Her work is in the permanent collections of several museums, including the
Blanton Museum of Art and the
Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Early life and education
Forsyth was born on August 18, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
She was the middle child born to her parents, the artist
William Forsyth and Alice (Atkinson) Forsyth.
After graduating from
Butler University in Indianapolis with a B.A. in chemistry in 1925,
Forsyth began formal painting instruction at the
John Herron Art Institute,
where she studied with
Helene Hibben
Helene Hibben (1882–1969) was an American artist from Indianapolis. Hibben was a sculptor and is a confirmed participant in the Indianapolis City Hospital Project. She created a large bronze statue for the creation of the Burdsal Units. It ca ...
. She subsequently studied at the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where she was introduced to grease crayons as a drawing material,
and the
Broadmoor Art Academy
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) is an arts center located just north of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located on the same city block are the American Numismatic Association and part of the campus of Colorado ...
where she studied under
Boardman Robinson and John Ward Lockwood.
Career
Forsyth first worked as an instructor at the John Herron Art Institute,
, and the
University of Texas at El Paso.
While at the John Herron Art Institute, she organized her students' work in Indianapolis, though she and her father were part of a group of people who were fired and then allowed to return on a part-time basis.
In 1940 she moved to the
University of Texas in Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
where she established a printmaking program,
and was part of a cohort of artists joining the university at that time. With supplies limited because of World War Two, she made projects work with limited supplies.
In 1973, Forsyth was promoted to professor emeritus.
Forsyth is known for her printmaking and her watercolors. She is known for her semiabstract explorations of natural forms like as waves, mountains, and, particularly, clouds. Her subjects included outdoor scenes, such as ''Westcliffe, Colorado'' that was shown in the World's Fair in New York in 1939.
She helped
Thomas Hart Benton with the Indiana murals for the
Century of Progress exposition in Chicago in 1933.
Forsyth also worked as an illustrator for two books: Charles Garrett Vannest's ''Lincoln the Hoosier: Abraham Lincoln's Life in Indiana'' (1928) and Esther Buffler's ''The Friends'' (1951). Forsyth's work is in the permanent collection at the Blanton Museum of Art, the
McNay Art Museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the
Dallas Museum of Art.
Constance Forsyth died on January 22, 1987.
Awards and honors
Awards won by Forsyth include the Naomi Goldman prize and the Even Clendenin prize from the
National Association of Women Artists.
The Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery acknowledged her efforts with a combined retrospective with William L. Lester in 1974, one year after her retirement.
On March 22, 1985 the Printmaker Emeritus Award was granted to her by the Southern Graphics Council in appreciation of her excellent achievements in the profession.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forsyth, Constance
1903 births
1987 deaths
American printmakers
Artists from Indianapolis
American women artists