Miriam Frink
Miriam Frink | |
|---|---|
Miriam Frink in 1955 | |
| Born | August 4, 1892 |
| Died | August 23, 1977 (aged 85)[1] |
| Education | Milwaukee-Downer College, Smith College |
| Occupation | Art educator |
| Years active | 1915-1954 |
| Known for | Layton School of Art |
Miriam Frink (August 4, 1892 – August 23, 1977) was an art educator in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Frink and her lifelong partner, artist Charlotte Partridge, established the Layton School of Art in 1921, acting as the school's co-directors for over thirty years until their joint resignation in 1954.[2]
Early life and education
Miriam Frink was born on August 4, 1892, in Elkhart, Indiana, where her father, Charles W. Frink (1863–1934), worked as a physician.[3] After studying for two years at Milwaukee-Downer College, a women's college created in 1895, she transferred to Smith College, Massachusetts, where she graduated in 1914 with a degree in education. Upon completing her studies, her former alma mater Downer College offered her a position as English teacher, prompting Frink to return to Wisconsin in 1915.[4]
While at Downer, Frink met fellow professor Charlotte Partridge, head of the Fine Art Department.[5] The two women began a romantic relationship and eventually moved in together. Both Partridge and Frink felt constrained by the conservative academic approach of college president Ellen Sabin, particularly regarding the presence of nude models in life drawing classes.[6] In 1920, they left Downer to establish their own art school in the basement of Milwaukee's Layton Art Gallery.[7]
Layton School of Art
Shortly after the creation of Layton School of Art, Frink and Partridge hired painter Gerrit V. Sinclair as its first professor.[8] While Partridge herself taught art classes, Frink took charge of teaching psychology and contemporary literature.[9][10] In addition to the graduating cursus for art students, the school also offered free Saturday classes for children and daytime classes for adults.[9]
During those years, Frink also assisted Milwaukee organizer Meta Berger with the writing of her autobiography, though the text could not be published before Berger's death in 1944.[10][11]
Retirement and death
Following their retirement from the school, Partridge and Frink continued living together in the house they had designed in Mequon in 1938.[4][12] Due to ill-health, Partridge moved into a nursing home in 1973, where she passed away on February 25, 1975. Frink died two years later, on August 23, 1977. She was buried in her childhood town of Elkhart, Indiana.
References
- ^ "Art School Leader, Miriam Frink, Dies". Milwaukee Journal. Milwaukee, WI. August 24, 1977. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- ^ Wagner 2019, p. 153.
- ^ Deahl, Anthony (1905). A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of Elkhart County, Indiana. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co. p. 483. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
- ^ a b "Charlotte Russell Partridge and Miriam Frink Papers, 1862-1980". Wisconsin Historical Society. Madison, WI. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
- ^ PBS Wisconsin (2023-06-01). Layton School of Art. Wisconsin Pride, Part One: Hidden Histories (documentary). Madison, WI: Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- ^ Wagner 2019, p. 151.
- ^ McAdams, Shane (2023-10-12). "'Predecessor: Works from the Layton School of Art' at MIAD". The Shepherd Express. Milwaukee, WI: Louis Fortis. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- ^ Mooney, Claudia (2013-05-14). "The Layton Art Collection—1888-2013, Part 2". www.mam.org. Milwaukee, WI. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- ^ a b Frink, Miriam (February 1925). "Literature in an Art School". Smith Alumnae Quarterly. 16 (2). Concord, NH: Alumnae Association of Smith College: 172–173. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- ^ a b "Oral history interview with Charlotte Russell Partridge, circa 1965". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
- ^ Berger, Meta. Swanson, Kimberly (ed.). A Milwaukee Woman's Life on the Left: The Autobiography of Meta Berger. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press. p. xxv. ISBN 978-0870207785.
- ^ Daniell, Constance (September 1, 1965). "Time to Be Busy". Milwaukee Journal. Part 4. Milwaukee, WI. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
Bibliography
- Wagner, R. Richard (2019). We've Been Here All Along: Wisconsin's Early Gay History. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0870209123.
- Levine, Faythe (2024). As Ever, Miriam. Hudson, NY: Combos Press.