Mary Jo Watson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Jo Watson
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Mary Jo Watson, Seminole art historian, director emeritus and Regents Professor at University of Oklahoma School of Art and Art History
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| Citizenship | Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and United States |
| Education | University of Oklahoma |
| Occupation | art historian, educator |
| Known for | founding the Native American art history program at the University of Oklahoma |
Mary Jo Watson is a special kind of historian who studies art. She is a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. She used to be a director and a professor at the School of Art and Art History at the University of Oklahoma. Mary Jo Watson is famous for teaching others about Native American art and how to study it.
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Mary Jo Watson's Life and Work
Early Life and Learning
Mary Jo Watson was born in Seminole, Oklahoma. She is a proud member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. She went to Seminole High School in her hometown.
After high school, she went to the University of Oklahoma. She studied art history and earned her first degree in 1974. Later, she earned another degree in 1979, focusing on Seminole art and beauty. In 1993, she earned her highest degree, a doctorate, in Native American art history.
Teaching and Museum Work
Before joining the University of Oklahoma, Mary Jo Watson taught at Seminole Junior College for three years. She also taught at Bishop McGuiness High School for one year.
Starting in 1978, she helped organize art shows at the Center of the American Indian in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She became the director of this museum from 1984 to 1988.
When Mary Jo Watson was a student at the University of Oklahoma, there were no classes about Native American art. Because she loved this topic, she started teaching it herself in the 1970s. She offered the very first official course on Native American art at the university in 1980.
Building a Program
In 1993, Mary Jo Watson became a full-time teacher at the University of Oklahoma's School of Art and Art History. From 1994 onwards, she created many new classes about Native American art for both undergraduate and graduate students. One of her special classes was about American Indian Women Artists.
She became an associate dean in 2002. In 2008, she was named a "regents professor," which is a very high honor. From 2006 to 2013, she was the director of the School of Art and Art History. During this time, she created a special program for students to earn a doctoral degree in Native American art history.
Mary Jo Watson also worked as the curator of Native American art at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma. A curator is someone who takes care of and organizes art collections.
Awards and Special Honors
Mary Jo Watson has received many awards for her important work. She won two Governor's Art Awards: one for her service and another for her work in education. The Paseo Art Association gave her a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
She has also been a judge at the Santa Fe Indian Market, which is a very famous event for Native American artists. She received grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment of the Arts to support her research.
In 2014, the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society added Mary Jo Watson to their Hall of Fame. In 2019, the Oklahoma Historical Society also honored her by adding her to the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame.
To honor her, her former students and colleagues created a special scholarship at the University of Oklahoma called the Mvhayv Award.
