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Mary Reardon (1912-2002)

Mary Reardon is best known for her mosaic designs for Catholic churches. She contributed three mosaic designs to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, America's largest Catholic church. Her mosaics are located in the Great Upper Church of the National Shrine and include the Last Judgement in the west transept, the Creation in the east transept, and Our Lady of Guadalupe in one of the east side chapels. Innovative for her time, Reardon worked with computer specialists at Northeastern University in Boston to determine the exact dimensions of her designs. Her other large scale mosaic commission was for the Cathedral of Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, which includes her mosaics of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the History of the Catholic Church on the New Frontier and The Career of Cardinal Ritter. Other mosaics by Reardon can be found at Saint Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, and the Baltimore Cathedral in Baltimore, MD. Many murals and mosaics by Reardon can be found throughout the Boston area, her place of birth and where she spent most of her life.

Reardon's career as an artist began after she was awarded her BA from Radcliffe College in 1934. From there she studied art at Yale University, where she was awarded a BFA in 1938. After completing her formal education, Reardon left the United States to study at the Instituto de Bellas Arts in San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaco, where she worked as an assistant to the Mexican muralist David Siqueiros. She developed a lasting relationship with David Barajas, another assistant to Siqueiros. Barajas and Reardon worked on several projects together in the United States. Reardon was a faculty member at both Emmanuel College and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Reardon was a devout Catholic. She was an active member of the Liturgical Arts Society, which played a significant role in reviving the Catholic art tradition in America. Like many women artists, Reardon has largely been ignored by scholars. However, her work is currently under examination by Emmanuel College, which recently received a significant amount of archival material on Reardon. A publication on Reardon's work is underway as is an exhibition. Archival material on Reardon can also be found at the Archives of American Art in Washington, DC and at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, MA.

Ralph Pearson
Ralph Pearson (1883-1958) was an American artist dedicated to advancing American craft production as art. Born in Iowa, his family moved to Chicago when he was young, and he later attended the Art Institute of Chicago. Initially known as a printmaker, he was a member of the Chicago Society of Etchers. He moved to New York in 1913, where he attended the Modern Art School. His commitment to craft was confirmed in his choice to teach at Elverhój, an artists colony outside of Manhattan that run as an Arts and Crafts workshop in the model of British Arts and Crafts advocate C.R. Ashbee. Pearson established the Design Workshop in 1920s New York, the design center for his modernist hooked rug business. He hired artists and designers to design his rugs, including Thomas Hart Benton, George Biddle, Blanch Lazzell, Ruth Reeves, John Storrs and others. Some of the rugs were fabricated by the New England Guild in Portland, Maine. Pearson's major goal was the advancement of modern art through these rugs which found their place in American homes. He wrote four books on modern art, including Experiencing Pictures, in which he argued that creativity could be expressed in any medium.