Hildreth Meière Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hildreth Meière

Born	1892 New York, New York
Died	1961
Nationality	American
Education	Academy of the Sacred Heart, Manhattanville, New York; Art Students League of New York; California School of Fine Arts, San Francisco; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; New York School of Applied Design for Women
Known for	Muralist, Painting, Architectural Design, Mosaic
Movement	Art Deco

Hildreth Meière (pronounced "me-AIR") (1892–1961) was an amazing American artist. She was famous for creating large artworks called murals. These murals were often part of buildings. She worked in the early to mid-1900s. Meière is especially known for her cool Art Deco designs. Art Deco was a popular style of art and architecture. It used geometric shapes and bold colors.

During her 40-year career, Hildreth Meière completed about 100 art projects. She designed murals for many different places. These included office buildings, churches, and government centers. She also decorated theaters, restaurants, and even ocean liners! Meière used many materials for her art. She worked with paint, ceramic tiles, and glass. She also used marble mosaics, terracotta, wood, and metal. She even created stained glass windows.

Some of her most famous works include the colorful interiors at the Nebraska State Capitol. She also made the energetic round designs of Dance, Drama, and Song at Radio City Music Hall. Her beautiful mosaics and stained-glass windows can be seen at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Manhattan). She also decorated the Great Hall at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C..

Early Life and Inspiration
Her Amazing Career
Professional Life and Awards
Selected Artworks
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Inspiration

Hildreth Meière was born in New York City in 1892. She went to the Academy of the Sacred Heart. This was a Catholic boarding school for girls in Manhattan. After school, Meière spent a year in Florence, Italy. There, she studied painting with an English artist.

While in Italy, she saw many Renaissance frescoes. Frescoes are paintings done on wet plaster. These artworks had a huge impact on her. She later wrote that she "fell in love" with mural painting. She loved the idea of creating "great beautiful walls." This experience helped her decide what kind of artist she wanted to be.

Meière continued her art studies in several places. She attended the Art Students League of New York. She also studied at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. This school is now called the San Francisco Art Institute. She also went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Finally, she studied at the New York School of Applied Design for Women. There, she joined design competitions.

During World War I, Meière helped her country. She worked as a draftsman for the U.S. Navy. A draftsman draws detailed plans or designs.

Her Amazing Career

Meière started her career by designing costumes and sets for plays. In 1921, she met an architect named Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. He gave Meière her first big mural project. This was to decorate the Great Hall at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Goodhue also chose Meière for an even bigger project. She designed the interiors of the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. This was one of her most important jobs. For eight years, she created decorations for many parts of the Capitol. These included the entrance, main hall, rotunda, and the Senate and House rooms.

Meière went on to design murals for buildings all over the country. However, some of her best work is in Manhattan, New York City. She became very good at making murals fit perfectly with the building's design. She believed a good mural "cannot be taken away without hurting the design of the building." This means her art was a true part of the architecture.

Even though she is known for Art Deco, Meière could work in many styles. She would change her designs to fit what her clients wanted.

During World War II, Meière helped organize a group of artists. They painted special three-panel artworks called triptychs. These were like portable altarpieces. A group called The Citizens Committee for the Army and Navy gave these artworks to American soldiers. They went to military camps, airfields, and ships worldwide. More than 500 triptychs were made. Meière herself painted over 70 of them! She also taught first aid for the Red Cross during the war.

Professional Life and Awards

Hildreth Meière believed in giving back to her profession. She once wrote that artists should "owe some of our time and energies" to professional groups. She was the first woman ever appointed to the New York City Art Commission. She also helped start the Liturgical Arts Society. She was the first president of this organization.

Meière held many important leadership roles. She was President of the National Society of Mural Painters for four terms. She was also First Vice President of the Architectural League of New York for six terms. She served as a Director for the Municipal Art Society. She was also a Director for the Department of Mural Decoration at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. She was a member of the Architectural Guild of America. She also served on the boards of several art schools and societies in New York.

Meière received many awards for her amazing work. Her first major award came in 1928. The Architectural League of New York gave her a gold medal for Mural Decoration. This was for her work at the Nebraska State Capitol. This was a big deal because the League did not even admit female members until six years later!

The U.S. War Department recognized her work during World War II. In 1956, she became the first woman to win the Fine Arts Medal. This award came from the American Institute of Architects. Her old college, Manhattanville College, gave her an honorary doctorate in 1953. In 1959, the school gave her a distinguished service award.

Selected Artworks

Here are some of Hildreth Meière's important projects:

Painted and gilded decorations for the Great Hall of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., 1924.
Interiors for the Nebraska State Capitol. These included ceramic tile domes, marble mosaic floors, and gold-leaf designs. Lincoln, Nebraska, 1924-32.
Glazed ceramic tile decoration for the vaults and ceiling at Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago, 1928.
Marble floor mosaics at the Baltimore Trust Building, 1929.
Glass mosaics and stained-glass windows for St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Manhattan) in New York City, 1929-56.
Glass mosaics for the arch and ark at Temple Emanu-El, New York City, 1929.
Consultant on color and size for the Red Room at 1 Wall Street, New York City, 1931.
Dance, Drama, Song (1932). These were three metal and enamel roundels for the outside of the Radio City Music Hall building at Rockefeller Center, New York City.
Glass mosaic lobby ceiling and tile map for the lobby wall of the AT&T Long Distance Building, New York City, 1932.
Two projects for the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. These included a large painted mural and a terracotta tile floor.
Multiple projects for the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Oil-on-canvas mural for the ocean liner SS President Monroe, 1940.
Inlaid marble altar piece for the Lady Chapel at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, 1942.
Glass mosaics and a frieze at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, 1945-61.
Glass mosaic of the risen Christ for the apse of the Resurrection Chapel at Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., 1951.
Map of the Mississippi in gesso and metal-leaf for the Cabin Class Lounge, SS United States. Meière also helped design the ship's interiors, 1952.
Three-part marble mosaic mural for the lobby of Prudential Plaza, Newark, New Jersey, 1960.