Vera Allison

Vera A. Allison (1902–1993) also known as Vera Gaethke, was an American Modernist jeweler, and abstract painter.[1] She was a co-founder of the Metal Arts Guild of San Francisco, a non-profit, arts educational organization. Allison had lived in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Mill Valley in California; and in San Cristobal, New Mexico.

Vera Allison
Born(1902-12-05)December 5, 1902
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedAugust 20, 1993(1993-08-20) (aged 90)
San Cristobal, New Mexico, U.S.
Other namesVera Gaethke
OccupationVisual artist
Years active1920s, and c. 1930s–1980s
Known forJeweler, painter
MovementModernism
SpouseGeorge Michael Gaethke (m. 1919–1982; death)
Children1

Early life and education

Vera Allison was born December 5, 1902, in San Francisco.[1] She attended University of California, Berkeley (U.C. Berkeley), where she received a B.A. degree in Art.[2][3]

In 1929, she married painter and printmaker George Gaethke (1898–1982), and they had a child.[3][4]

Career

After graduation, she travelled in Europe and made paintings in oil paint and watercolors.[3] When she returned to San Francisco, Allison worked as a commercial designer at Foster & Kleiser advertising company.[2][3]

When she was returning to work after a period of maternity leave, Allison took adult education classes in jewelry and studied under Loyola Lawson Fourtane (1899–1976) of Sausalito.[3] In 1951, Allison was one of the founding members of the Metal Arts Guild of San Francisco (MAG), a metal arts organization led by Margaret De Patta.[5][6][7] Other founding members of MAG included Merry Renk, Irena Brynner, Florence Resnikoff, Byron August Wilson, Peter Macchiarini, Virginia Macchiarini, Francis Sperisen, and Bob Winston.[5][6]

From 1967 to 1986, Allison lived in Mill Valley, Marin County, California; where she was an active member of the Marin Society of Artists.[2]

She was part of the group exhibition, Jewelry by Peter Macchiarini, Vera Allison, and Irena Brynner (1952) at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA).[8] In 1962, Allison was part of an annual members group exhibition with the Society of San Francisco Women Artists (now San Francisco Women Artists) arts organizations at SFMoMA, where she won an award for her jewelry.[9][10] In 1976, she served as a jury member for the 30th Annual Art Festival (1976) in Civic Center, San Francisco.[11]

End of life, death, and legacy

She continued to be active in the arts into the late 1970s. In 1986, Allison moved to New Mexico to live with her daughter.[12] She died on August 20, 1993, in La Lama (now Lama Foundation) in San Cristobal, New Mexico at the age of 90.[12]

Her artist files are located in the Smithsonian American Art and Portrait Gallery Library in Washington, D.C..[13][14]

Exhibitions
  • 1947, Vera Allison and George Gaethke, Gump's gallery, San Francisco, California[15]
  • 1950, solo exhibition, Barry Lambert Gallery, Santa Rosa, California[3]
  • 1955, Jack London Square Art Festival, Oakland, California[16]
  • 1952, Jewelry by Peter Macchiarini, Vera Allison, and Irena Brynner, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California[8]
  • 1961, Contemporary Craftsmen of the Far West, Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York City, New York[17]
  • 1962, Annual Exhibition of the Society of San Francisco Women Artists, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California[10][18]
  • 1966, The Art of Personal Adornment, the Museum West of the American Craftsman Council, San Francisco, California[19]

References
  1. Hughes, Edan Milton (1989). Artists in California, 1786-1940. Hughes. ISBN 978-0961611217.
  2. "Vera Allison - Biography". AskArt.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  3. Allen, Keith (November 12, 1950). "Empire Music And Drama, From Fine Arts to Art Crafts Is The Story of Designer Vera Allison". The Press Democrat. p. 21. ISSN 0747-220X. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  4. "Intent to Marry". The San Francisco Examiner. July 16, 1929. p. 15. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Lauria, Jo; Baizerman, Suzanne (2005). California design : the legacy of the West Coast craft and style. San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle Books. p. 140. ISBN 978-0811843744. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  6. Shaifer, Jennifer (2011). Metal Rising: The Forming of the Metal Arts Guild, San Francisco (1929-1964). Washington, D.C.: Corcoran College of Art & Design, Department of History of Decorative Arts. pp. 24, 35–36. hdl:10088/18636. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  7. Adell, Carrie; Renk, Merry (Summer 1984). "The San Francisco Metal Arts Guild - Ganoksin Community". Ganoksin. Metalsmith (magazine). Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  8. "San Francisco Museum of Art". Oakland Tribune. June 8, 1952. p. 67. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  9. Fried, Alexander (December 9, 1962). "Women Hold Their Annual Show". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. 158–159. ISSN 2574-593X. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  10. "S.F. Women Artists Annual Exhibition Prizewinners". Oakland Tribune. December 25, 1966. p. 56. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  11. Fried, Alexander (September 7, 1976). "There Will Be Sad Note in Art Festival". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 23. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  12. "Vera Allison Gaethke". The Taos News. September 2, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  13. "Record Vera Allison, 1902- [Folder]". Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  14. "Allison, Vera, 1902-". LC Name Authority File (LCNAF).
  15. Dugan, H. L. (October 12, 1947). "Chinese Art Exhibited in S.F. Gallery". Oakland Tribune. pp. C-3. ISSN 1068-5936 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Jack London Square Art Festival Will Close Today". The San Francisco Examiner. August 28, 1955. p. 26. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Contemporary Craftsmen of the Far West, M-27 10". American Craft Council (ACC).
  18. "A Score For The Distaff Side". The San Francisco Examiner. November 29, 1959. p. 207. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Exhibit of Amulets, Jewelry". The San Francisco Examiner. January 27, 1966. p. 23. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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