Julia Gridley Severance
A woman standing in an art studio, wearing a light-colored dress
Julia Gridley Severance, from a 1922 publication
BornJanuary 11, 1877
Oberlin, Ohio
DiedMarch 9, 1972
Chula Vista, California
Occupation(s)Artist, sculptor, puppeteer

Julia Gridley Severance (January 11, 1877 – March 9, 1972) was an American artist, sculptor and puppeteer. The Julia Severance Faculty Studio at Oberlin College is her former studio, and is named for her.

Early life and education

Severance was born in Oberlin, Ohio, the daughter of James Ralph Severance and Rosa Gridley Severance. Her parents were both Oberlin College alumni; her father was a college administrator. She attended Oberlin College from 1896 to 1900 without completing a degree, and pursued further art studies in Italy, and at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and the Art Students League of New York,[1] where she studied with sculptor James Earle Fraser.[2]

Career

Severance was known for her etchings and as a sculptor for her portrait busts and reliefs.[3] She designed the official seal of Oberlin College in 1911,[4] and her etchings depicting campus buildings were made into postcards and calendars for the college.[2] In 1916 she won a prize for sculpture from the Cleveland Women's Art Club. She spent several winters in Coconut Grove, Florida with her widowed mother, teaching art classes and working in her sculpture studio there.[5][6][7] In 1917 Delphine Hanna hosted an exhibit of Severance's sculptures in her Coconut Grove home.[8] She exhibited her works in the home of a friend in Knoxville in 1922,[9] and in 1924 she won first prize for her portrait relief sculptures in a Knoxville fair.[10][11] She exhibited her works at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1925.[1][2]

In 1928 she spent the summer in Italy with her Oberlin friend Parmelia Allen; the pair also had a puppet theatre they built and performed together on regional tours in the 1930s,[12][13] called the Severance (or Several) Marionettes.[14][15][16] They also performed at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1933.[17]

In 1933 she had a traveling exhibition of her etchings, one of which appeared on the cover of Art News magazine.[3] Severance and Allen moved to San Diego in 1938. She exhibited her work there with the San Diego Art Guild in 1940, and at the La Jolla Art Center in 1942.[1] She took up wood carving in the 1950s, studying with sculptor Donal Hord.[18] In 1962 she traveled to Alaska and British Columbia with another friend, Mrs. Logan Osborn.[19]

Personal life

Severance and Allen lived together in San Diego until Allen died in 1946.[20][21] Severance died in Chula Vista, California in 1972, aged 95 years.[1] The Julia Severance Faculty Studio at Oberlin College is her former studio, and is named for her.[22] Oberlin College Archives holds a collection of her papers.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Julia G. Severance Papers, 1912-1955, 1957, n.d." Oberlin College Archives. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  2. 1 2 3 Kimball, Arthur S. (1922). "Julia Gridley Severance--An Appreciation". Oberlin Alumni Magazine. 18: 14–15.
  3. 1 2 "At Stuart Hall". The Daily News Leader. 1933-10-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "The New College Seal". September 29, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved March 7, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  5. ↑ "Doings of People in Coconut Grove". The Miami Herald. 1922-04-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Doings of People in Coconut Grove". The Miami Herald. 1921-12-19. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Artists Like Coconut Grove for its Beauty". The Miami Herald. 1921-04-11. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Former Students". Oberlin Alumni Magazine. 13: 235. May 1917.
  9. ↑ "Many See Exhibit of Art at Home of Mrs. Otis Brown". The Journal and Tribune. 1922-03-18. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Awards Made in Fine Arts Class". The Knoxville Journal and Tribune. 1924-09-26. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Maclean, William L. (1924-09-27). "Art Display was Far Superior to All Past Records". The Knoxville Journal and Tribune. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Church at Gables to Present Show". The Miami News. 1934-02-08. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Notes on Miami Church Activities". The Miami News. 1934-03-03. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "P.T.A. to Sponsor Marionette Show". Elyria Chronicle Telegram. October 18, 1934. p. 2. Retrieved March 7, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  15. ↑ "Marionettes to be Shown Here". Harrisburg Telegraph. 1933-12-04. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-03-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Marionettes Given for 300 Yesterday". Harrisburg Telegraph. 1933-12-09. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Marionette Show Friday". The Evening News. 1933-12-04. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Clement, Alice (1959-12-03). "At Fredericka Manor". Chula Vista Star-News. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Johnson, Cora A. (1962-08-23). "At Fredericka Manor". Chula Vista Star-News. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Former Resident Dies". The Chronicle-Telegram. 1946-05-02. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Personals". The Chronicle-Telegram. 1946-06-08. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-03-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Lewis House". Oberlin College Archives. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
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