Marion Gilmore also Marian Gilmore and Mion Hulse was an American
muralist
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...
and painter from Iowa. She was also an accomplished
cellist
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...
. In the 1930s, she won two federal commissions to complete
post office murals
United States post office murals are notable examples of New Deal art produced during the years 1934–1943.
They were commissioned through a competitive process by the United States Department of the Treasury. Some 1,400 murals were created ...
for the
Public Works Art Project of the
Treasury Department. Her work is representative of the
Ashcan school
The Ashcan School, also called the Ash Can School, was an artistic movement in the United States during the late 19th-early 20th century that produced works portraying scenes of daily life in New York, often in the city's poorer neighborhoods.
...
and
Social Realism
Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...
art movements of American Art.
Early life
Marian Jordan Gilmore was born on May 7, 1909, in
Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves b ...
, to Ethel (née Jordan) and Merrill C. Gilmore. She grew up in Ottumwa, where her father was a prominent attorney. Gilmore was an accomplished cellist and throughout her life played in concerts and trios around Ottumwa, as well as playing in the
Parsons College
Parsons College was a private liberal arts college located in Fairfield, Iowa. The school was named for its wealthy benefactor, Lewis B. Parsons Sr., and was founded in 1875 with one building and 34 students. Over the years new buildings were cons ...
Symphony Orchestra and the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra. She studied cello in
Des Moines
Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
at
Drake University
Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States.
Hi ...
and also later in New York. After completing high school, Gilmore attended the
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...
in 1927, studying art under Carol Sax. She then studied at the School of Fine Arts and Crafts in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and the
Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...
. Gilmore moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and studied simultaneously at the
Phoenix Art Institute
Phoenix Art Institute, originally located at 350 Madison Avenue in New York, New York, was an educational institution co-founded in 1925 by Franklin Booth with Lauros M. Phoenix. In 1944, it merged with the New York School of Applied Design for W ...
under
Franklin Booth
Franklin Booth (July 8, 1874 – August 25, 1948) was an American artist known for his detailed pen-and-ink illustrations. He had a unique illustration style based upon his early recreation of wood engraving illustrations with pen and ink. His skil ...
and
Norman Rockwell
Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...
and at the
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists.
Although artists may stu ...
. In 1932, she studied during the summer at the
Stone City Art Colony
The Stone City Art Colony was an art colony founded by Edward Rowan, Adrian Dornbush, and Grant Wood. The colony gathered on the John A. Green Estate in Stone City, Iowa during the summers of 1932 and 1933.
History
The colony was started ...
under
Grant Wood
Grant DeVolson Wood (February 13, 1891 February 12, 1942) was an American painter and representative of Regionalism, best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest. He is particularly well known for '' American Gothic'' (193 ...
. In 1937, Gilmore studied at the
American Academy of Art
The American Academy of Art College is a private art school in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1923 for the education of fine and commercial arts students.
The school's Bill L. Parks Gallery is open to the public and features exhibitions ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and subsequently enrolled at the
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
.
Career
In 1938, Gilmore produced a work, featuring
Chief Wapello, to commemorate Air-mail Week for the Ottumwa post office. The
cachet
In philately, a cachet is a printed or stamped design or inscription, other than a cancellation or pre-printed postage, on an envelope, postcard, or postal card to commemorate a postal or philatelic event. There are both official and private ( ...
was used on all mail sent from the Ottumwa post office during the 20th anniversary of the launch of air mail service in the U.S. In 1939, Gilmore was teaching art to children at the Ottumwa Community Art Center with Robert Hulse, who she would marry in 1943. She won the commission to produce a mural for the town of
Corning, Iowa
Corning is a city in Quincy Township, Adams County, Iowa, Quincy Township, Adams County, Iowa, Adams County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,564 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Adams County. Cornin ...
in 1939. The painting was featured in ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' as part of an article on 48 murals to be produced for each of the contiguous U.S. States. Gilmore's mural featured a scene she had sketched at a band concert in
Hedrick, Iowa
Hedrick is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 728 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
In 1882, the Burlington and Western Railway a narrow gauge line, and its competitor, the Iowa Central Railway, built competi ...
. Though she won the competition for ''Band Concert'' with a cannon and an obelisk included in the sketch, residents of Corning complained that the design did not accurately reflect their town. Gilmore was forced to alter her mural to remove the cannon and obelisk, though she did add decorative landscaping, rather than the buildings which could actually be seen behind the
bandstand
A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...
.
In 1941, Gilmore won the competition to complete the post office mural in
Corydon, Iowa
Corydon is a city in Wayne County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,526 in the 2020 census, a decline from 1,591 in 2000. It is the county seat of Wayne County.
The town was laid out and platted in 1851 and later that year designated a ...
. The mural, ''Volunteer Fire Department'', was completed in 1942 and features a 1928 Continental
fire engine
A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...
, which was the actual truck used by the town's fire department. While the original mural remains in the post office, a replica of the mural and the original truck are part of an exhibit found in the Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County.
After her marriage, Gilmore began using the professional gender-neutral name Mion Hulse. In 1943, her husband, Robert, worked on an exhibit at the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...
and the following year was hired as an instructor at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
. The couple lived there until moving to
Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
, in 1952. Gilmore worked in painting, sculpting, illustration, and design. Her paintings fall into the
Ashcan and
Social Realism
Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...
schools and often depict their images in a humorous way. Her work was widely exhibited and included in collections and galleries. Some of the best representations of her work include "Children in Washington Park", "Fischer's Tavern", "Ham & Eggs - 45¢" and "Yard Sale", all of which were included in a posthumous exhibit hosted by the Seiderman Gallery in
Lynbrook, New York
Lynbrook is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 19,427 at the 2010 census.
History
The area currently known as Lynbrook has had other names, inc ...
, in 1995.
Gilmore died on June 10, 1984, in Ottumwa.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
''Band Concert'' study in the collection of the Smithsonian''Volunteer Fire Department'', in Corydon, Iowa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmore, Marion
1909 births
1984 deaths
People from Ottumwa, Iowa
University of Kentucky alumni
American muralists
20th-century American painters
Artists from Iowa
Section of Painting and Sculpture artists
Federal Art Project administrators
American women muralists
20th-century American women artists