Oral History Interview: Mary Demeter Thurrell (1742)

Abstract

In her 2018 oral history interview with Maryo Gard Ewell, Mary Demeter Thurrell talks about her life as an artist. As a child growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the Great Depression, Thurrell was exposed to art at a young age through WPA projects and the "Let's Draw" program. Having developed a passion and penchant for art, Thurrell enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in Madison where she studied art, art history, and earned a degree in education. She went on to do graduate work at the University of Illinois - Urbana, after which she took a job at the State University of New York (SUNY) before returning to Madison where she taught Extension classes. Thurrell details her involvement with Extension, speaking at length about her experience critiquing art in rural Wisconsin where she had many opportunities to speak with women about their work.