Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Marjorie Kreilick Papers, 1946-2018, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.kreimarj
Creators:
Kreilick, Marjorie
Dates:
1946-2018
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
6.8 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of educator and mosaicist Marjorie Kreilick measure 6.8 linear feet and date from 1946-2018. Kreilick was mostly based in Madison, Wisconsin and the papers document her career through biographical material, correspondence, project files; professional and studio materials files, which include notebooks, recipes for materials used in the mosaics, and samples of mosaic pieces; artwork in the form of preparatory sketches and paintings; and photographic material.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of educator and mosaicist Marjorie Kreilick measure 6.8 linear feet and date from 1946-2018. Kreilick was mostly based in Madison, Wisconsin and the papers document her career through biographical material, correspondence, project files; professional and studio materials files, which include notebooks, recipes for materials used in the mosaics, and samples of mosaic pieces; artwork in the form of preparatory sketches and paintings; and photographic material.
Biographical material includes Marjorie Kreilick's award certificates, diplomas, curriculum vitae, passports, information regarding her American Academy in Rome year abroad, and materials on a trip to Scotland. There are also sound recordings of an interview with Marjorie Kreilick and a lecture by Linda Nochlin. There is a small amount of biographical material about other people.
Correspondence consists of letters from friends and colleagues, as well as places where Marjorie Kreilick taught, notably the University of Wisconsin, Madison; organizations she belonged to, and art institutions where she exhibited.
Project files include materials on Kreilick's mosaic commissions. The folders often contain correspondence, project proposals, timelines, cost estimates, photographs, blueprints, and floor plans. Noteworthy projects include the mosaics for the Milwaukee State Office Building, Mayo Clinic, Beth Aaron Synagogue, and Telfair Academy.
Professional and studio material files mostly contain research and recipes for materials used in mosaics. There are also notebooks, financial records, organization membership documents, and other files.
Artwork mostly consists of preliminary paintings and drawings, as well as diagrams for various mosaics. The preliminary paintings for the Milwaukee State Office Building mosaics are especially noteworthy. There are some watercolor sketches, abstract paint sketches, and drawings as well.
This collection includes photographs of Marjorie Kreilick, friends, colleagues, travel, artwork, mosaics created for commissions, and a few photographs of exhibition installations. The photographic materials are in a variety of formats such as slides, negatives, contact sheets, and prints.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as 7 series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1946-circa 2013 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 1, 4)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1949-1983 (0.2 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Project Files, 1955-2015 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1, OV 10)
  • Series 4: Professional and Studio Material Files, circa 1950-circa 1992 (2 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 4-5)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1950-2018 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 2-4, OV 11)
  • Series 6: Artwork, circa 1948-circa 1990 (2.4 linear feet; Boxes 3-7, OV 12-19)
  • Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1948-2015 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-5, 8-9)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Marjorie Kreilick (1925-2023) was a mosaicist and educator based in Madison, Wisconsin. She went to Ohio State University for her undergraduate and graduate degrees, then went to the Cranbrook Academy of Art where she received her M.F.A. in 1952. She was an apprentice at the studio of master mosaicist Gulio Giovanetti in Rome, Italy, from 1956-1957.
Kreilick was a lecturer at Toledo Art Museum in Toledo, Ohio from 1948 to 1951. She became an art professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1953 and continued to teach there for almost 40 years until her retirement in 1991.
Throughout her career, Kreilick was immersed in the techniques and practices of Italian mosaics and, in addition to her earlier apprenticeship, she spent 2 years in Rome as an American Academy in Rome Fellow, winner of the 1963 Rome Prize. She made mosaics for many commissions over the years and, among these projects, she is most well known for the 10 large-scale mosaic murals that she created for the State Office Building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1963. The murals are inspired by the Midwestern landscape. Many of her works reflect her appreciation of nature and she sometimes incorporated materials, such as stones and pebbles, into her mosaics.

Administration

Author
Rihoko Ueno
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Marjorie Kreilick.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Marjorie Kreilick papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Marjorie Kreilick in 2021.
Existence and Location of Copies
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2022 and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Processing Information
The collection was fully processed, prepared for digitization, and described in a finding aid by Rihoko Ueno in 2022 with funding provided by the artist Marjorie Kreilick.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
The donor has retained all intellectual property rights, including copyright, that they may own.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Preferred Citation
Marjorie Kreilick papers, 1946-2018. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Related Materials
The University of Wisconsin-Madison special collections has Marjorie Kreilick's lecture notes and associated slide carousels in its holdings.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Mosaicists -- Wisconsin -- Madison Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- Wisconsin -- Madison Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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