Yvonne Williams (1901–1997) was a

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

artist, known for her design and creation of stained glass windows in Canada, including the windows in St. John's Shaughnessy in Vancouver, Chalmers United Church in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

, Ontario and St. Michael & All Angels Church in Toronto.

Biography

Williams was born to Canadian parents in

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

, Trinidad. In 1918, the family returned to Canada. Williams enrolled in the

Ontario School of Art Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...

in 1922. There she studied sculpture then painting, studying under

Arthur Lismer Arthur Lismer, LL. D. (27 June 1885 – 23 March 1969) was an English-Canadian painter, member of the Group of Seven and educator. He is known primarily as a landscape painter and for his paintings of ships in dazzle camouflage. Early life ...

, Frederick Varley and

J. E. H. MacDonald James Edward Hervey MacDonald (1873–1932) was an English-Canadian artist, best known as a member of the Group of Seven who asserted a distinct national identity combined with a common heritage stemming from early modernism in Europe in the ear ...

. She changed her focus to glass and fine art metal, staying an additional year at university to study under Edith Grace Coombs. In 1928, she began an apprenticeship at

Charles Jay Connick Charles Jay Connick (1875–1945) was a prominent American painter, muralist, and designer best known for his work in stained glass in the Gothic Revival style. Born in Springboro, Pennsylvania, Connick eventually settled in the Boston area where ...

's studio in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1936, she travelled to France to study the stained glass at Chartres. Returning to Toronto, Williams opened a studio in 1930, located on Cariboo Avenue in North Toronto in a house she rented from Arthur Lismer. The studio was in operation for almost 30 years. The studio received over four hundred commissions across Canada for both public and private spaces. Images by Williams were selected for the 1976 Canadian Yuletide 20 cent stamp and the 1997 Canadian Yuletide 52 cent stamp. Her career spanned almost 50 years at a time when it was unique for a woman to enter the field of stained glass. An interview with Williams about her career is available in

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

under

Joan Murray Joan Murray (born August 6, 1945) is an American poet, writer, playwright and editor. She is best known for her narrative poems, particularly her book-length novel-in-verse, ''Queen of the Mist''; her collection ''Looking for the Parade'' which ...

fonds, R4917. Williams was a member of Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

. She died in 1997 in

Parry Sound Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian B ...

, Ontario. She had previously donated lakefront land for a public park on Mill Lake, now known as Yvonne Williams Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Yvonne 1901 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Canadian women artists 20th-century Canadian artists OCAD University alumni Canadian stained glass artists and manufacturers Canadian glass artists