Mary Lee Hu
Encyclopedia
Life
Hu first became fascinated with metalwork during high school introductory courses. She later explored more work with metals during a summer camp. Hu has always wanted to be a visual artist. During her undergraduate education Hu developed her skills and continued to work with small scale metalwork and jewelry. Hu developed her signature style during graduate school. This was when she first started to work with fiber inspired techniques after taking a fiber arts course. From then on Hu worked with wire wrapped jewelryWire wrapped jewelry
Wire wrapping is one of the oldest techniques for making jewelry by hand. In wire wrapping, jewelry is made using jewelry wire and findings similar to wire to make components. Wire components are then connected to one another using mechanical techniques with no soldering or heating of the wire...
. Hu has developed new techniques in coiling, wrapping, weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
, knitting
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
, and twining wire. After her education she traveled numerous places to exhibit her work. She later became a member and president of the Society of North American Goldsmiths
Society of North American Goldsmiths
The Society of North American Goldsmiths was founded in 1969. It is an international nonprofit organization that serves as the primary organization of jewelers and metal artists in North America. Anyone interested in the related fields may become a member...
. She also is a member of organizations such as the American Craft Council
American Craft Council
The American Craft Council , was founded in 1943 as a national, nonprofit, educational organization to support and foster interest in the crafts in America. The council sponsers national craft shows, publishes American Craft magazine, and has an extensive awards program...
and the World Crafts Council
World Crafts Council
The World Crafts Council is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was founded in 1964 to promote fellowship, foster economic development through income generating craft related activities, organize exchange programs, workshops, conferences, seminars, and exhibitions—and in general, to...
.
Education
- 1965: B.F.A. Metalsmithing, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- 1967: M.F.A. Metalsmithing, Southern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
, Carbondale, IL
Teaching
- 1980-2006: University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
- 1977-1980: Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
- 1976-1977: University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
- 1976:Kansas State UniversityKansas State UniversityKansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
- 1976: University of IowaUniversity of IowaThe University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
- 1968-1969: Southern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
Awards and grants
- 2008: The Irving and Yvonne Twining Humber Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement from Artist Trust of Washington.
- 2004: Invited to start a Mary Lee Hu research collection at The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington, DC, part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.
- 2002 Donald E. Peterson Endowed Fellowship for Excellence, College of Arts and Sciences, University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
- 2001-02: Flintridge Foundation Award for Visual Artists
- 1999: Elected “Master of the Medium” for the James C. Renwick Alliance, the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, DC
- 1996: Appointed as a Fellow of the American Crafts Council
- 1992: National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Crafts Fellowship
- 1988: Alumni Achievement Award, Southern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois UniversitySouthern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
-Carbondale
- 1984: National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Crafts Fellowship
- 1979: All-University Research Grant, Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
- 1978: All-University Research Grant, Michigan State UniversityMichigan State UniversityMichigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
- 1976: National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Crafts Fellowship
- 1975: Best in Show, Best in Metals, Outstanding Craftsman of the North Central Region, Purchase Award, "Beaux Arts Designer/Craftsman '75", Columbus Museum of Fine Arts, Columbus, OH
Public collections
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- Columbus Museum of ArtColumbus Museum of ArtThe Columbus Museum of Art is an art museum located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formed in 1878 as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, it was the first art museum to register its charter with the state of Ohio.-Building:...
, Columbus, OH - Illinois State UniversityIllinois State UniversityIllinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
- Museum of Arts & Design (formerly American Crafts Museum), New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Washington DC
- The Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, Chicago, IL - The Museum of Fine Arts, BostonMuseum of Fine Arts, BostonThe Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- The Tacoma Art MuseumTacoma Art MuseumIn May 2003, Tacoma Art Museum opened a new facility twice the size of its previous home, allowing the museum to expand on its vision and mission. American Institute of Architects AIA Gold Medal winner Antoine Predock designed the building located in the heart of Tacoma’s Cultural District...
, Tacoma, WA - The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
- University of Indiana Art Gallery, Bloomington, IN
- Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Exhibition
- 2004
“The Art of Gold”
The Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC
Anchorage Museum of History and Art
Anchorage Museum of History and Art
The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center is a museum located in downtown Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Beginning as a public-private partnership to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska purchase, it opened in 1968 with an exhibition of 60 borrowed Alaska paintings and a collection...
, Anchorage, AK
“Korean & American Metalsmithing Exhibition”, Kepco Plaza Gallery, Seoul, Korea.
- 2003
“The Art of Gold”
organized by the Society of North American Goldsmiths
Society of North American Goldsmiths
The Society of North American Goldsmiths was founded in 1969. It is an international nonprofit organization that serves as the primary organization of jewelers and metal artists in North America. Anyone interested in the related fields may become a member...
and tours by Exhibits USA Crocker Art Museum
Crocker Art Museum
The Crocker Art Museum is one of the leading arts institutions in California, and the longest continuously operating art museum in the West. Located in Sacramento, California, the Crocker has been an art innovator since 1885...
- 2002
Summer Arts Festival Mirabela Arts Exhibit, Odegaard Undergraduate Library, University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
“Exuberance”, Facere Jewelry Art Gallery, Seattle (with Kevin Glenn Crane)
- 2001
"Flet/Braid", Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum
Kunstmuseum
Kunstmuseum is the German term for an art collection open to the public, mainly based on previous feudal holdings. English terms like art museum, museum of arts or art gallery, however, cover only part of its meaning, and on the other hand, art collections with a long tradition nowadays may never...
, Aalborg
Aalborg
-Transport:On the north side of the Limfjord is Nørresundby, which is connected to Aalborg by a road bridge Limfjordsbroen, an iron railway bridge Jernbanebroen over Limfjorden, as well as a motorway tunnel running under the Limfjord Limfjordstunnelen....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
- 2000
“Curves Revisited”, Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CA
- 1997
“Celebrating American Craft”, Kunstindustrie Museum, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
- 1994
"Mary Lee Hu: Master Metalsmith", National Ornamental Metal Museum
National Ornamental Metal Museum
The National Ornamental Metal Museum is a museum in Memphis, Tennessee for the collection, preservation, and exhibition of historical and contemporary metalwork. The museum is housed in a 1930's brick building on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River that was formerly used as a U.S...
, Memphis, TN
- 1993
"Documents Northwest: 6 Northwest Jewelers" Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum
The Seattle Art Museum is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It maintains three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the central Seattle waterfront, which opened on...
, Seattle, WA
- 1993-96
"Sculptural Concerns: Contemporary American Metalworking",Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is a Contemporary art museum located in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, Allen County, United States, neighboring the Arts United Center...
,national tour
- 1992
"Design Visions, The Second Australian International Crafts Triennial". Art Gallery of Western Australia
"Helen Williams Drutt Collection", Helsinki, Finland
- 1991
"The 20th Anniversary Show", Electrum Gallery, London, England
- 1989
"Mary Lee Hu: Goldsmith", The Merrin Gallery, New York, NY
- 1989-93
"Craft Today USA", Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY and European Tour
- 1988
Concepts Gallery, Carmel and Palo Alto, CA
"Korean-American Contemporary Metalwork Exhibition 1988", Walker Hill Art Center, Seoul, Korea
- 1987-90
"The Eloquent Object", organized by The Philbrook Museum of Art
Philbrook Museum of Art
The Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma is an art museum and former home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve Phillips. , the museum has a staff of 60 and an operating budget of nearly $6 million....
, Tulsa, OK, US and Japan tour
- 1986-88
"Craft Today, Poetry of the Physical", Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY, national tour
- 1985-87
“American Jewelry NOW", Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY, Asia tour
- 1985
"Barbara Rockefeller Associates Collection", Anatole Orient Gallery, London, England
"Masterworks of Contemporary American Jewelry: Sources and Concepts", The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
"International Jewelry Invitational", Rudolf Dentler Gallery, Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- 1984
The Hand and the Spirit Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
- 1984-85
"Jewelry USA", organized by the Museum of Art and Design, New York, NY, national tour
- 1983
University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana
University of Louisiana may refer to:* University of Louisiana System, public multi-campus university system** Northwestern State University of Louisiana...
, Lafayette, LA
Invitational of American Jewelry, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Traditional Industry,
Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
- 1982
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University, commonly abbreviated as MTSU, is a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, United States....
, Murfreesboro, TN
- 1981-85
"Good as Gold: Alternative Materials in American Jewelry", Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, DC, national tour
- 1981
University of North Dakota
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
, Grand Forks, ND
"Tenth anniversary Exhibition", Electrum Gallery, London, England
"The Golden Thread-Textures in Gold", Touring International Competition
- 1980
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts is a non-profit community arts campus that offers arts education programs and contemporary art exhibitions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, Pittsburgh, PA
"International Jewellery 1900-1980", Kunslerhaus, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
- 1979
"Fourth International Jewellery Art Exhibition", Jewellery Designers Association, Mikimoto, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
- 1979-81
"Society of North American Goldsmiths
Society of North American Goldsmiths
The Society of North American Goldsmiths was founded in 1969. It is an international nonprofit organization that serves as the primary organization of jewelers and metal artists in North America. Anyone interested in the related fields may become a member...
", by Society of North American Goldsmiths
Society of North American Goldsmiths
The Society of North American Goldsmiths was founded in 1969. It is an international nonprofit organization that serves as the primary organization of jewelers and metal artists in North America. Anyone interested in the related fields may become a member...
national tour
- 1979
Eastern Kentucky University Gallery, Richmond, KY
- 1978-82
"Silver in American Life", Yale University Art Gallery
- 1978
"Modern American Jewelry Exhibition", Mikimoto & Co., Tokyo
"American Crafts at the Vatican Museum", Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
Goldsmith Hall, London (with Harper, Scherr, Seppa)
- 1977
Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Museum of Art
The Columbus Museum of Art is an art museum located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Formed in 1878 as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, it was the first art museum to register its charter with the state of Ohio.-Building:...
, Columbus, OH
Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
, Normal, IL
“Creative Jewelry”, Design Center, Manila, Philippines
- 1976
University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, Madison, WI
"6 Contemporary American Jewellers", Electrum Gallery, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- 1975-76
"Forms in Metal-275 Years of Metalsmithing in America", Museum of
Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY
- 1975
"Contemporary Crafts of the Americas: 1975", Competitive exhibition, Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
national tour
“Beaux Arts designer/Craftsmen ‘75”, Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, OH.
- 1974
University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, Iowa City, IA
- 1974-77
“Goldsmith/74”, by the Renwick Gallery and the Minnesota Museum of Art.
- 1974
"World Silver Fair", International competition, Taxco
Taxco
Taxco de Alarcón is a small city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. The name Taxco is most likely derived from the Nahuatl word tlacheco, which means “place of the ballgame.” However, one interpretation has the name coming from the word tatzco which means “where the father...
and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
“Profile 1974”, Humber College, Rexdale, Ontario, Canada
- 1970-72
“Goldsmith ‘70”, Minnesota Museum of Art, St. Paul, MN
- 1969
"Young Americans '69", Museum of Contemporary Crafts, New York, NY
- 1967
Crafts Alliance Gallery, St. Louis, MO