Mary Stanisia facts for kids

Sister Maria Stanisia, S.S.N.D., (May 4, 1878 – January 28, 1967) was an American Catholic nun, artist, and painter. She was a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

Early Life and Art Beginnings

Monika Kurkowska was born in Poland on May 4, 1878. When she was three years old, her family moved to the United States. They traveled on a ship called the Strassburg. Her parents, Franciszek and Katarzyna, changed their last name to "Kurk" after arriving.

Monika went to elementary school at the St. Stanislaus Polish parish. Later, she studied at the Academy of Our Lady. She then traveled to Munich to learn from a famous artist, count Tadeusz Żukotyński. He taught her how to paint religious art, including large wall paintings called murals.

Becoming a Nun and Teaching Art

In 1893, Monika returned to the United States. Three years later, she felt a strong religious calling. She moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and joined the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She took on a new religious name: Mary Stanisia.

For the next three years, she trained to become a nun. In March 1899, Sister Mary Stanisia made her final promises at St. Mary's in Michigan City, Indiana. In the same year, she painted The Sacred Heart of Jesus. This was her first known painting.

Sister Stanisia began teaching art at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Marinette, Wisconsin. She also gave private art lessons. She taught there until 1905. Then, she was sent to St. Mary's Academy in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, for two years. In 1907, Sister Stanisia returned to the Academy of Our Lady in Chicago. This was the same school where she had studied as a girl. She created a large art studio there, big enough for painting murals. She also became the director of the school's Fine Arts program.

Continuing Her Art and Philosophy Studies

Starting in 1916, Sister Stanisia continued her art education. She studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She learned about murals from John W. Norton and landscapes from Frank Charles Peyraud. She also studied figure painting, portraits, and sculpture.

Sister Stanisia graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1919. Her paintings were shown in the school's yearly art shows. The 1917-1918 SAIC catalog even featured her painting, Her Great Grandmother's Wedding Gown. She also studied with other artists, including Robert Clarkson and Charles Webster Hawthorne.

While studying art, Sister Stanisia also studied philosophy. She earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from DePaul University in 1922.

A Career as a Renowned Artist

As a mature artist, Sister Stanisia painted many different types of art. She created portraits, murals, and religious works for various clients. She painted a large main panel for an altarpiece at the Basilica of St. Hyacinth. This work was based on a design by her former teacher, Żukotyński. It was one of her earliest large panels. She also created art for St. Stanislaus Kostka and Holy Cross in Chicago. These churches are built in a style known as the Polish Cathedral style.

In 1926, she showed four paintings at the Eucharistic Congress in Chicago. This event promoted Catholic art. Because of this exposure, she received many more requests for her artwork. Around 1926, Stanisia finished a series of paintings called the Stations of the Cross for St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Chicago. Over the next four years, she created about fifty works of art, including portraits and murals.

In 1929, she started an art department at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. This college was part of her religious group. She also continued to direct the art program in Chicago. The next year, she founded the Art Guild of Chicago.

Her famous paintings include a portrait of Bishop John F. Noll. She also painted St. Theresa and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The American Art Society asked her to paint a portrait of Pope Pius XI. This painting was displayed at the former Holy Family Academy in Chicago. In 1934, she painted a portrait of Edward Joseph Kelly, who was the Mayor of Chicago. In 1933, she painted Henry Horner, the Governor of Illinois.

Sister Stanisia was one of many nuns who combined their spiritual life with their art. This helped create a unique American Catholic art style.

Her work was shown at the Eucharistic Congress in 1925. In 1930, her art was displayed at the Gallery of Wisconsin Art by The Milwaukee Journal. She won a silver medal at The Warsaw International Fair in 1932. In 1935, her work was shown at the Davis Galleries in Evanston, Illinois.

Death

Sister Maria Stanisia passed away on January 28, 1967. She died in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, after a short time in the Notre Dame Infirmary. She was buried at the Sisters' cemetery there.

Collections

Her artwork can be found in several collections, including:

• Adrian College, Michigan
• Holy Cross Church, Chicago
• St. Joseph's Hospital, Chicago
• St. Margaret's Church, Chicago
• St. Paul Cathedral, Minnesota
• College of Cardinals, Washington, D.C.

See also

• Jozef Mazur
• Polish Americans
• Polish Roman Catholic Union of America
• Polish Cathedral style
• Roman Catholicism in Poland