May 19 – June 30, 2023 | Geoffrey A. Wolpert Gallery
“In my opinion, if you aren’t having fun, you’ve really missed the joy of creation.”
—Mary Todd Beam, The Creative Edge: Art Exercises to Celebrate Your Creative Self
Mary Todd Beam (1931-2022) always found her way to creativity. Throughout the years she sang songs that she had learned as a child and told stories of growing up in the shadow of the Second World War and the Great Depression. But it was her love of painting that carried her creative spark to the broader painting community. Having first discovered her love for painting when she won a scholarship in the third grade to study at the Dayton Institute of Art, it was not until her children were older that Beam got the opportunity to focus on her painting practice. Beginning with watercolor and later expanding to include acrylic, Beam’s work was nationally recognized. She was a member of the National Watercolor Society, the Ohio Watercolor Society, and was elected to be a member of the American Watercolor Society. Within these professional organizations Beam received multiple awards: she earned the National Watercolor Society’s experimental award, the Ohio Watercolor Society’s silver and bronze medals, and she was made a Dolphin Fellow by the American Watercolor Society, wherein she won the society’s gold medal of honor in the years 1996 and 2002. Beam’s gold medal awards are particularly notable as she was one of only five women to have received the gold medal and one of only two women to have received the award more than once. Beam exhibited both nationally and internationally and was selected to represent the United States in the First and Second International Exhibit of Contemporary International Watermedia Masters in Nanjing, China, in 2007 and 2010. Beam’s work was also featured in several publications, including American Artist, The Artist’s Magazine, Maxine Masterfield’s Painting the Spirit of Nature, Nita Leland’s The New Spirit of Painting, and Splash: The Best of Watercolor.
In addition to her accomplished artistic career, Beam was a passionate and beloved instructor. Beam’s teaching career lasted over three decades, where she taught workshops both nationally and abroad. Beam first taught at Arrowmont in 2009. Describing Beam’s popularity amongst her students, Lynn Corsi Bland explained, “After every class, students would clamor to sign up for her workshop the following year. She loved Arrowmont, and for many years taught two classes a year. She was a magical person; her eyes were always sparkling.” Beam leaves behind a legacy of cheerful creativity as well as a body of work distinct for their expressive colors, marks, and compositions.
—Kelli Fisher
Kenneth R. Trapp Craft Assistant Curatorial Fellow, 2022-2023
