Ann Orr Morris (August 5, 1924 – August 15, 1987) was an American silversmith, goldsmith, and enamelist. She died in her hometown of

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the st ...

, the victim of a triple homicide.

Life and work

Ann Montgomery Orr was born August 5, 1924, in Athens, Georgia, to Robert Craig Orr and Sally Wylly Treanor. Her family had lived in the area for several generations. After graduating from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

(UGA), Morris studied the art of metalwork in New York and in Europe. Margaret de Patta, Philip Morton, and

Adda Husted Andersen Adda "Andy" Thyra Elise Louise Husted-Andersen (1898 – 1990) was a Danish-born American Modernist jeweler, silversmith, metalsmith, and educator. She was a co-founder and the president of the New York Society of Craftsmen (later called Artist-Cra ...

all influenced Orr Morris's style. She served a four-year apprenticeship under Husted-Andersen and the two spent an additional brief time working together at the David-Andersen Factory in

Oslo, Norway Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

.Jackson, R. (1995). Ann Orr: Silversmith, Goldsmith, and Enamelist. ''METALSMITH'', ''2'', 51. Though best known for her metal jewelry creations, Orr Morris was also a skilled watercolorist. Describing Orr Morris's work, University of Georgia professor and metalworker Rob Jackson said, "One was, at first, struck, by the apparent simplicity of the objects. Deeply rooted in the 1950's search for form, there is almost a sense of innocence in the work." In 1957, Orr Morris attended a writer's workshop at the University of Georgia led by writer

Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern writer who often ...

. Her recollections of O'Connor were featured in a 1991 article in ''Athens Magazine''. Nashville-born crafter of gold and silver jewelry and maker of sterling silver

holloware Holloware (hollowware, or hollow-ware ) is metal tableware such as sugar bowls, creamers, coffee pots, teapots, soup tureens, hot food covers, water jugs, platters, butter pat plates, and other items that accompany dishware on a table. It ...

, Conn Harris West, studied with Orr Morris. Silversmith Charles Rowland was also her student.

Death and legacy

On August 15, 1987, at age 63, Orr Morris was attacked with a

hatchet A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', ' axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be us ...

by Clinton Bankston Jr., a 16-year-old Athens resident who had killed two other retired University of Georgia (UGA) professors during a burglary four months earlier, in April 1987. The murder happened in the home of Ann's sister, Sally Nathanson, in the

Carr's Hill Carr's Hill, also known as the University of Virginia President's House, is a historic home located near Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virginia. Carr's Hill was built in 1906, and is a two-story, five bay brick dwelling in the Colonial Re ...

neighborhood. Her sister Nathanson, and her 22-year-old adopted daughter, Helen, were also murdered. The women were found after Morris's husband reported her missing. Ann Orr Morris is buried in Athens'

Oconee Hill Cemetery Oconee Hill Cemetery is a cemetery in Athens, Georgia, United States. The extant cemetery opened in 1856 and is located near the University of Georgia. Oconee Hill Cemetery was purchased in 1855 by the city of Athens when further burials were pro ...

. From September 24 to November 13, 1994, the Georgia Museum of Art held a posthumous exhibit honoring Orr Morris. The museum produced a 69-page catalog, entitled ''Ann Orr: Silversmith, Goldsmith, & Enamelist'', to accompany the exhibition. Orr Morris's close friend, watercolorist

Martha Odum Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to ...

(wife of ecologist

Eugene Odum Eugene Pleasants Odum (September 17, 1913 – August 10, 2002) was an American biologist at the University of Georgia known for his pioneering work on ecosystem ecology. He and his brother Howard T. Odum wrote the popular ecology textbook, ''Fund ...

) traveled the Southeast to collect jewelry for inclusion in the exhibit. Odum also oversaw the photography of the pieces for the exhibition catalog. Former UGA professor and metalsmith, Gary Noffke served as one of the editors of this catalog. The ''Ann Orr Morris Memorial Fund'' provides funds to bring visiting artists to UGA's

Lamar Dodd School of Art The Lamar Dodd School of Art is the art school of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, Georgia, United States. History In 1927, the University of Georgia’s board of trustees voted to esta ...

to deliver lectures and workshops on jewelry-making and metalwork.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orr Morris, Ann 1924 births 1987 deaths Artists from Georgia (U.S. state) Women silversmiths Goldsmiths 20th-century American jewellers People from Athens, Georgia Women jewellers