Barbara Fiske Calhoun facts for kids

Barbara Fiske Calhoun (born Isabelle Daniel Hall; September 9, 1919 – April 28, 2014) was an amazing American artist. She was a cartoonist (someone who draws comics) and a painter. She was one of the very few women who created comics during the exciting time known as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Barbara also helped start Quarry Hill Creative Center in Rochester, Vermont. It's one of Vermont's oldest special communities where people live differently.

Barbara's Early Life and Art School

Isabelle Daniel Hall was born in Tucson, Arizona, on September 9, 1919. Her parents, Isabelle Daniel Jones and John Hall Jr., were both newspaper reporters. Sadly, her father passed away when Barbara was only six months old.

Barbara, who was nicknamed "Babs," loved art. She went to art school in Los Angeles. In 1940, she moved to New York City to continue her art journey.

Drawing Comics for Harvey Comics

During World War II, Barbara started working for Harvey Comics in 1941. She was hired to draw a comic called Black Cat. This was a big deal because very few women were comic book artists in the United States at that time.

While living in New York, she met a writer named Irving Fiske. He suggested she change her name to "Barbara Hall," which she did. She signed her artwork as "B. Hall" because female cartoonists were not always respected back then.

Girl Commandos and Other Heroes

Barbara's next comic strip was Girl Commandos. This exciting story was about a team of women from different countries who fought against the Nazis. The main character was Pat Parker, a brave war nurse. She recruited other strong women, like a British nurse, an American radio operator, a Soviet photographer, and a Chinese patriot. Barbara drew Girl Commandos until 1943.

She also created another character called the Blonde Bomber (also known as Honey Blake). Honey was a newsreel camerawoman, a chemist, and a crime-fighter. She had a sidekick named Jimmy Slapso. The Blonde Bomber was a regular feature in Harvey's Green Hornet comics.

Starting Quarry Hill Creative Center

On January 8, 1946, Barbara married Irving Fiske. She started using the name Barbara Hall Fiske. A few months later, on April 10, 1946, they used money from their wedding to buy a farm in Rochester. This farm later became a special place for artists and a unique community called Quarry Hill Creative Center.

Barbara and Irving had two children: Isabella "Ladybelle" Joachim Fiske (born 1950) and William John Fiske (1954–2008). Even though Barbara stopped drawing comics, she continued to create beautiful art using paint, especially egg tempera and pastel.

A Hub for Artists and Thinkers

In the mid-1960s, Barbara opened an art gallery called The Gallery Gwen in New York's East Village. She showed her own paintings there, along with art from others. Her husband, Irving, started giving talks about different ideas and religions, like Tantra, Zen, Sufism, and Hinduism.

Many young people, including some who became famous artists like Art Spiegelman, started visiting Quarry Hill Creative Center. Many of them stayed and built homes there. Today, Quarry Hill is the oldest and largest alternative community in Vermont. It's also one of the biggest in New England.

Barbara went to Vermont College and earned a degree in Art History in the 1960s. She later returned to Quarry Hill. In 1976, she and Irving divorced, but they remained friends and supported each other. Barbara, with help from her son William, created a company to own the land, making sure Quarry Hill would continue.

In 1989, Barbara married Dr. Donald Calhoun. He was a writer and a professor who had been her teacher at Vermont College. Barbara also became a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in the 1980s. Barbara and Donald lived at Quarry Hill into their 90s. Donald Calhoun passed away in 2009.

Barbara lived at Quarry Hill Creative Center until she was 93 years old. She continued to teach art and encourage young artists.

Barbara's Final Years

As she got older, Barbara's health declined. She moved to Brookside Nursing Home in White River Junction, Vermont. She passed away on April 28, 2014. Her daughter and son-in-law were with her. They read her favorite poems and played her favorite music during her last days.

Barbara Hall Fiske Calhoun's 100th birthday was celebrated in the summer of 2019 at Quarry Hill.