Marian MacDowell (maiden name Marian Griswold Nevins) (November 22, 1857 – August 23, 1956) was an American pianist and philanthropist. In 1907, she and her husband

Edward MacDowell Edward Alexander MacDowell (December 18, 1860January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist of the late Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites '' Woodland Sketches'', ''Sea Pieces'' and '' ...

founded the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowel ...

for artists in

Peterborough, New Hampshire Peterborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2020 census. The main village, with 3,090 people at the 2020 census, is defined as the Peterborough census-designated place (CDP) and ...

. Her leadership of the artist retreat through two world wars, the Great Depression and other challenges created one of the foremost cultural institutions in the United States, which cultivated the work of generations of musicians, writers, poets, sculptors, and visual artists.

Life and education

Marian Griswold Nevins was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, the third of five children born to David H. Nevins, a Wall Street banker, and his wife, Cornelia L. Perkins. When she was eight, her mother died in childbirth. Her aunt Caroline Perkins of South Carolina was a talented musician who came to New York to teach piano. She recognized her niece's gifts and encouraged them. As Marian grew older, she realized that she needed to study in Europe, a basis for being taken seriously as a performer or artist at the time. With a chaperone, she left for

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

in 1880 intending to study with

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course of a ...

at the

Hoch Conservatory Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium – Musikakademie was founded in Frankfurt am Main on 22 September 1878. Through the generosity of Frankfurter Joseph Hoch, who bequeathed the Conservatory one million German gold marks in his testament, a school for ...

. Finding that Clara Schumann was away, Nevins asked for advice in getting another teacher and was referred to

, a young American composer. After working together for several years, they decided to marry on July 24, 1884. They had one child who was stillborn. From the beginning Marian had great faith in her husband's talent and wanted him to devote himself to composing.Robin Rausch
The House That Marian Built: The MacDowell Colony
''American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States '', Library of Congress, 2001.

Family and career

During their life together, Marian MacDowell realized that quietness and tranquility of the rural settings would positively affect her husband's work. In 1896, she bought Hillcrest, a farm in

, for their summer residence. Marian MacDowell had a log studio built in the woods where Edward MacDowell composed. He appreciated the place, which was visited by their artistic friends. The MacDowells realized that artists can be stimulated by interacting with people from other disciplines, and they developed plans of creating a place where artists could come, live and interact together. In 1904, Edward MacDowell began to show evidence of a nervous disorder with bouts of

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

that ended his composing and teaching career. He lost virtually all mental capacity. Marian cared for him to the end of his life in 1908, in his last years with the help of a nurse Anna Baetz, who later became known as the ''nurse of Edward MacDowell''. After Edward's death, Anna Baetz stayed with Marian MacDowell for eighteen years helping with the MacDowell Colony. In 1907, Marian MacDowell initiated her and Edward's plans for an artists' colony, founding a residential institution in

where artists could live in residence and work. She conceived of ways to support both artists' need for solitude and for interaction, and transferred the deed of property for Hillcrest Farm to the ''Edward MacDowell Association''. In the summer of 1907, the first artists were invited: Helen Mears, a sculptor, and her sister Mary Mears (1876-1943), a writer. The latter published an article about the colony in the July 1909 issue of '' The Craftsman'', which gave it much needed publicity. The MacDowell Colony started to receive support from benefactors, such as Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. In 1923, the ''

Pictorial Review The ''Pictorial Review'' was an American women's magazine published from 1899 to 1939. Based in New York, the ''Pictorial Review'' was first published in September 1899. The magazine was originally designed to showcase dress patterns of German i ...

'' awarded Marian MacDowell $5,000 Annual Achievement Award for "the most valuable contribution to American life during the year." At that time, the MacDowell Colony had nineteen studios on 500 acres and 300 applications for residency. (In 1997, there were 32 studios to accommodate MacDowell fellows and residents.Grace Glueck
Fruitful Months in the Country
''The New York Times'', January 31, 1997.) To raise funds, Marian MacDowell began lecturing to women's clubs and musical groups. Encouraged at one session, she resumed her performing career at the age of fifty, and became the foremost interpreter of Edward MacDowell's music. She shared her insights in ''Random Notes on Edward MacDowell and his Music'' (1950). During twenty-five years she performed more than 400 recitals in the United States and Canada raising money for the endowment of MacDowell Colony of Peterborough.

Ernest Hutcheson Ernest Hutcheson (20 July 1871 – 9 February 1951) was an Australian pianist, composer and teacher. Biography Hutcheson was born in Melbourne, and toured there as a child prodigy at the age of five. He later travelled to Leipzig and entered ...

thought of her and

Amy Beach Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (September 5, 1867December 27, 1944) was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in ...

as "remarkably good concert pianists". Marian MacDowell frequently performed concerts for women's musical clubs named after Edward MacDowell — the '' MacDowell clubs''. She inspired the formation of some of the MacDowell clubs and united ones that previously existed. These clubs, a total of 400 at the peak of their popularity, became to serve as significant donors to the MacDowell Colony and, in turn, brought the arts to their local communities. Marian MacDowell maintained close relationships with many of these clubs throughout her life, in addition to umbrella organizations such as the

National Federation of Music Clubs The National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) is an American non-profit philanthropic music organization that promotes American music, performers, and composers. NFMC endeavors to strengthen quality music education by supporting "high standards o ...

and professional music sororities:

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its m ...

Delta Omicron Delta Omicron () is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship. History Delta Omicron International Music Fraternity was founded on September 6, 1909 at ...

Phi Beta Phi Beta Fraternity: National Professional Association for the Creative and Performing Arts () is an American national professional college fraternity for the creative and performing arts. It was founded in 1912 at Northwestern University in Evan ...

, and

Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Chi Omega (, also known as Alpha Chi or A Chi O) is a national women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. As of 2018, there are 132 collegiate and 279 alumnae chapters represented across the United States, and the fraternity counts ...

. She said that women's groups raised far more money than did men's fraternities. Marian MacDowell was traveling in the United States and Canada giving lectures and recitals until 1938. In 1947, she stepped down from executive directorship at the Edward MacDowell Association. Marian MacDowell died on August 23, 1956 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, California.

Legacy

Through her unceasing efforts to support both female and male artists in all disciplines, Marian MacDowell became a leading figure for the arts in the United States. The colony supported generations of artists in her lifetime, whose work expressed and contributed to American life. It continues to do so as around 250 artists-in-residence arrive there yearly to create and interact. In 1997, the MacDowell Colony received the National Medal of Arts in recognition of "nurturing and inspiring many of this century's finest artists." It was counted in 1997 that, "more 1,300 visual artists (besides lots of writers, composers, film makers and architects) have put in quality time at MacDowell, the country's oldest and largest cultural retreat." Among the nationally known artists who were MacDowell fellows are: composers

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

, Leonard Bernstein, and

; printmakers

Benny Andrews Benny Andrews (November 13, 1930 – November 10, 2006) was an African-American artist, activist and educator. Born in Plainview, Georgia, Andrews earned a BFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1958, and soon after m ...

, Tomei Arai,

Milton Avery Milton Clark Avery (March 7, 1885 – January 3, 1965Haskell, B. (2003). "Avery, Milton". Grove Art Online.) was an American modern painter. Born in Altmar, New York, he moved to Connecticut in 1898 and later to New York City. He was the husband ...

, Cynthia Back, Robert Cottingham,

Janet Fish Janet Fish (born May 18, 1938) is a contemporary American realist artist. Through oil painting, lithography, and screenprinting, she explores the interaction of light with everyday objects in the still life genre. Many of her paintings include ...

, and Sandy Gellis; photographers Marion Belanger and Rosalind Solomon; poets

Galway Kinnell Galway Mills Kinnell (February 1, 1927 – October 28, 2014) was an American poet. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 1982 collection, ''Selected Poems'' and split the National Book Award for Poetry with Charles Wright. From 1989 to 1 ...

Kay Boyle Kay Boyle (February 19, 1902 – December 27, 1992) was an American novelist, short story writer, educator, and political activist. She was a Guggenheim Fellow and O. Henry Award winner. Early years The granddaughter of a publisher, Boyle was ...

and

Edwin Arlington Robinson Edwin Arlington Robinson (December 22, 1869 – April 6, 1935) was an American poet and playwright. Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on three occasions and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times. Early life Robin ...

; novelists

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including '' O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and '' My Ántonia''. In 192 ...

, James Baldwin, and Spalding Gray; and playwrights

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel '' The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and '' The Skin of Our Teeth'' — ...

, Dorothy and DuBose Heyward, to name a few. Such American classics as

's ''Our Town'',

's ballet ''Billy the Kid'', and Dorothy and DuBose Heyward's play ''Porgy'' are directly connected to the

Honors

Marian MacDowell was awarded honorary degrees from numerous academic, artistic and media institutions: * 1930,

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...

, Durham * 1938, New Jersey State College for Women, New Brunswick * 1939, Middlebury College, Vermont Other awards included: * 1932, Annual Achievement Award, ''

'' * 1940, The Charles Holmes Pettee Medal from the University of New Hampshire, Durham * Henry Hadley Medal, National Association for American Composers and Conductors, for outstanding service to music * At the age of 92, Marian MacDowell was honored by the

National Institute of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

for her distinguished service in the arts * In 1997, the MacDowell Colony was awarded the National Medal of Arts Papers of the Edward and Marian MacDowell Collection and the MacDowell Colony are held by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

.Marian MacDowell Papers: A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
''Library of Congress, Manuscript Division''

References

External links

Website of the MacDowell Colony
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdowell, Marian 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists 1857 births 1956 deaths American women artists Musicians from New York City Philanthropists from New York (state) People from Peterborough, New Hampshire