Martha Nessler Hayden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martha Nessler Hayden
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Martha Hayden at work (May 2019)
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| Born |
Martha Nessler
1936 (age 88–89) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Martha N. Hayden, Martha Hayden |
| Alma mater | Art Institute of Chicago |
Martha Nessler Hayden, born in 1936, is an American artist. She is famous for her modern landscape paintings and unique artist books. Martha lives and works in Sharon, Wisconsin, in a beautiful old Victorian home.
She creates art using many different materials. These include oil paints, acrylics, watercolors, and even fabric art. She has also worked with ceramics and enameling. For many years, she had art studios in New York City.
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Martha Hayden's Early Life and Learning
Martha Nessler was born in 1936 in Evanston, Illinois. Her mother, Minerva Kraft Nessler, was a librarian. Her father, Aldo Edward Nessler, designed equipment for making cheese. Martha's grandfather, Charles Herbert Kraft, helped start the famous Kraft Cheese Company.
Martha went to Bradley University for two years, studying ceramic arts. Then, she moved to the Art Institute of Chicago. There, she focused on drawing, painting, and illustration. She earned her art degree in 1961.
After graduating, Martha received a special scholarship. This allowed her to study art in Salzburg, Austria, in 1962. She learned at a school called Schule des Sehens, which means "School of Seeing."
Martha Hayden's Art Career
Martha Hayden has traveled to Mexico many times to paint. She spent time in places like San Miguel de Allende and the Yucatán Peninsula. During the early 1970s, she created a special series of landscape paintings from Mexico.
These paintings were made outdoors, right where she saw the scenes. The Mexican sky in her art was a much brighter blue than in Wisconsin. The plants and trees were also very different. An art critic named Donald Key said her 1970s works were "full of color" and showed a strong connection to the places she painted.
Painting Rural Wisconsin
In the 1970s, Martha settled down in Sharon, Wisconsin. She began to paint the world around her in rural Wisconsin. In 1985, she created her largest artwork. It was a big mural showing the history of Beloit, Wisconsin. This mural was placed on the walls of Beloit City Hall. The city asked Martha to create this important artwork in 1983.
In 1988, two of Martha's unique artworks were shown at the U.S. Smithsonian Museum. These were two wooden eggs painted with scenes of Wisconsin farms and lakes. Martha was one of 200 American artists chosen to paint these special eggs. They were also displayed during the White House Easter Egg Roll.
One of her oil paintings from 1989 shows bosc pears in a country setting. This painting was bought by the Nebraska State Art Collection. In 1990, the Naperville Art League gave Martha Hayden an award for her painting of a giant flower.
Exhibitions and Collections
In 2001, Martha Hayden's art was part of the "11th Annual Remarkable Women Show." This exhibition was held at the Peltz Gallery in Milwaukee.
Martha has also created many unique "artist books." One of her books is kept in the Harvard University Fine Arts Library. Her artwork can be found in several museum collections. These include the Chazen Museum of Art, the Salzburg Museum, the São Paulo Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
