User talk:Shufords

Leona Pierce (January 28, 1921 - February 12, 2002) was an American artist from Santa Barbara, California. She is known for her color woodcuts of children playing and hand printed textiles. Pierce’s works are displayed across the United States in various collections including the Library of Congress and Smithsonian American Art Museum. In 1948 she was awarded the Philip Rosenthal Scholarship for painting and was the winner of a Tiffany Fellowship in graphic arts in 1951-1952 (book).

At the age of 30, Pierce married another artist, Antonio Frasconi, and together they went on to have two children, Pablo and Miguel. Pierce and Antonio Frasconi were both thriving artists and had many exhibitions, including a woodcuts show that they put on in California for over 40 years. Their sons have gone on to become successful artist in their own respects as Pablo Frasconi is a nationally recognized independent film-maker, and Miguel Frasconi is an experimental musician.

Education
Pierce attended Scripps College in Claremont, CA from 1940-42 where she studied Millard Sheets (book citation). After Scripps College, she went to Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, CA. She was convinced by Donald and Esther Bear to further her studies at the Art Students League of New York where she was mentored by Yasuo Kuniyoshi and Stuart Davis (painter).

Career
Pierce displayed her woodcuts in her first solo exhibition in 1947, 1949, and 1951 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Following her solo show in 1947, she went on to have over 30 solo shows across the United States, including some shows abroad.

Solo Shows:
 * Weyhe Gallery in New York City (1951, 1954, 1959, 1962)
 * Mills College in Oakland, California (1951)
 * Philadelphia Art Alliance, Pennsylvania (1952)
 * University of Maine, Orono (1956)
 * Rye Public Library, New York (1959)

Pierce often worked with her husband, Antonio Frasconi, on woodcuts and they even had their works displayed at the Berkeley Store Gallery in California from 1950 to 1991. (book citation) She collaborated with many other artists as well and was featured in several group exhibitions.

Group Exhibitions:
 * MoMA in New York City (1953, 1955-1956)
 * Society of American Graphic Artists in New York City (1954)
 * International Exposition of Graphic Artist in Yugoslavia (1955)
 * United States Information Agency (USIA) travelling show in the Far East (1962)
 * "American Prints 'Round the World" sponsored by the Society of American Graphic Artists and the USIA (1962)
 * "Women Printmakers Past and Present: 1400 to 1973"
 * New York Public Library exhibition as part of its permanent collection
 * Show curated by Elizabeth Ross (1983)

Pierce's unique works can still be seen in various collections around the United States.

Permanent Collections:
 * MoMA in New York City
 * Brooklyn Museum in New York City
 * New York Public Library in New York City
 * Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
 * Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania
 * Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston Massachusetts
 * Cornell University in Ithaca, New York
 * Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California
 * Bradley University on Peoria, Illinois
 * Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.

Selected Works

 * Bicycle
 * Boy on Stilts
 * Goose (1940-1955)
 * Cat with Dead Bird (1949)

Awards and Recognitions
In 1948, Pierce was the winner of the Philip Rosenthal Scholarship for painting. Between 1951 and 19552 she was awarded the Tiffany Fellowship in graphic arts. She is also a recipient of awards and purchase prizes from the Brooklyn Museum in New York (1949), the Philadelphia Print Club in Pennsylvania (1950), the Library of Congress Print Annual in Washington, D.C. (1950), the New Britain Print Annual in Connecticut (1951), the University of Southern California Print Annual in Los Angeles (1952), and the Society for American Graphic Artists Print Exhibition in New York City (1953). Pierce was also a recipient of commissions for wood cuts from the Modern Museum of Art (MoMA) (1957), the International Graphic Arts Society (1953), and the Seven Arts Society (1955).