Mildred Nungester Wolfe (August 23, 1912 – February 11, 2009) was an American artist based out of

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Biography

She was born on August 23, 1912, in

Celina, Ohio Celina ( ) is a city in Mercer County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 10,935 at the 2020 census. Located about northwest of Dayton, Celina is situated on the northwestern shores of Grand Lake St. Marys. History ...

, and grew up in

Decatur, Alabama Decatur () is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County, Alabama, Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City," it is located in North Alabam ...

. Her father was a pharmacist. In 1932, she graduated from Alabama College in

Montevallo Montevallo is a city in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. A college town, it is the home of the University of Montevallo, a public liberal arts university with approximately 3,000 students. As of the 2020 census, the population of the cit ...

Career

During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, her art career was temporarily placed on hold, as she taught Latin and English in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

for a decade. She did make trips to study at the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park. Its collection, stewarded by 11 curatoria ...

and the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

. During a summer trip to Kelly Fitzpatrick's Dixie Art Colony in 1937, she met her future husband, Karl Wolfe. They married in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

in 1944, where she was studying for a master of fine arts at

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

and he was working for the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

as a graphic artist at

Lowry Field Lowry Air Force Base (Lowry Field from 1938–1948) is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War. From 1955-1958, it served as the i ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Wolfes settled in Jackson, constructing Wolfe Studio and becoming regionalist artists interested in depicting

. Inspired by European Masters,

Impressionists Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subjec ...

, and

Post-Impressionists Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction aga ...

, she mostly painted landscapes in oil or watercolor. While Karl Wolfe was most known for his portraits, Mildred also painted several well-known portraits, including one of close friend

Eudora Welty Eudora Alice Welty (April 13, 1909 – July 23, 2001) was an American short-story writer, novelist and photographer who wrote about the American South. Her novel '' The Optimist's Daughter'' won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerou ...

that is in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

. In addition to painting, both Wolfes worked with ceramics, sculpture, and stained glass. Mildred worked in her husband's shadow for many years, first at Wolfe Studios, then at

Millsaps College Millsaps College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History The college was founded ...

, where both were members of the art department. When her husband retired in 1968, she lost her teaching position. In 1978, while Karl was included in an exhibition of Mississippi art, she was not. After Karl's death in 1984, the art community of Mississippi began appreciating Mildred for her own art, not for being Karl's wife. The

Mississippi Museum of Art The Mississippi Museum of Art is a public museum in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the largest museum in Mississippi. Location It is located at the corner of 380 South Lamar Street and 201 East Pascagoula Street in Jackson, Mississippi.Lee Ellis, '' ...

mounted exhibitions of her work in 1994 and 2006. In addition, the

University Press of Mississippi The University Press of Mississippi (UPM), founded in 1970, is a university press that is sponsored by the eight state universities in Mississippi (i.e., Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Sta ...

published a monograph of Mildred's work, showing examples of her paintings and public works.Mildred Nungester Wolfe at the University Press of Mississippi
/ref>

Death

She died of congestive heart failure at her Jackson home on February 11, 2009, aged 96.

References

External links

"In Memoriam: Mississippi artist Mildred Nungester Wolfe, 96"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, Mildred 1912 births 2009 deaths People from Decatur, Alabama University of Montevallo alumni People from Celina, Ohio 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women painters Painters from Alabama Painters from Ohio Artists from Jackson, Mississippi Painters from Mississippi Millsaps College faculty Colorado College alumni 21st-century American women 20th-century American women academics

Biography

Career

Death

References

Further reading

External links