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Women As Muralists - Mary Perry Stone

© Jo Murphy

Over the next few months I will be examining the role of women in relation to mural art. The series of articles will be looking at the types of themes most commonly represented by women who paint murals throughout the world. Each article will explore the inspiration and courage it requires to dare to become a public artist. I will take a brief look at the predominant themes chosen by female artists and how much they are influenced by a sense of social justice and why. Because it is so difficult for women to be successful in such a radical and difficult field I will be asking the question: How much government funding and other kinds of support have been available to each woman?

Source Material & Images.

Born in 1909 in Rhode Island, Mary attended the Art Student's League and the Traphagen School of Fine Arts and Design in New York City. In 1937, she worked on the Federal Arts Project in NYC as a teacher and sculptor. Awarded prizes at both the Metropolitan and Oakland Museums, her work has been shown in galleries and museums across the U.S. She resides in Ashland, Oregon.

Mary Perry Stone is a painter and sculptor who began her work as an artist in 1934 when there were no jobs available and she experienced the depression. The social unrest and political struggles of the Thirties influenced how she saw the world and she became involved in mass demonstrations. She has had a lifelong commitment to utilising her artistic statements as a catalyst for change. She taught as a means of economic survival, passing her skills and enthusiasm onto others. In 1937 MS Perry Stone was hired as a teacher and sculptor. " She remembers, "Those kids were terrific - you couldn't keep any of their art around (the center), because they were so excited about art that they always wanted to take it home."

Mary worked on Government projects not unlike the ones we have here in Brisbane(AU) which are intended to provide work for artists and to beautify the city. The scheme was called New York City Federal Arts Projects. She worked in the sculpture "easel" division with forty other women. The artist was paid to create works with the hope of putting art in the schools, parks, hospitals and other public places. Though Mary's primary work at this time was in sculpture, in 1939, she also painted about the rise of Fascism.