Marion Huse

Huse was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. Her parents encouraged her early interest in art, and her aunt would frequently return from trips to Europe with art supplies for her young niece. Huse's father was interested in the arts and drew as a hobby, while one of her brothers, Gordon, was involved in furniture making. As a teenager, Huse began her formal art education at Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, Massachusetts. She later received the honor of "Cushing's Premiere Artist" in 1940. Upon graduating in 1915, Huse continued her education at the New School of Design, Boston, and graduated in 1919. In 1924, the artist relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts, and she opened the Springfield Art School a year later.

In addition to her important role as teacher and administrator at the school, Huse worked on several government projects including a portrait of Henry Martens, Springfield's mayor, commissioned by the Civil Works Administration's Public Works of Art Project. In 1936, Huse was also involved with the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Like many American artists, Huse traveled abroad, and it was her husband's post in Liège, Belgium, that prompted the artist to travel overseas. It was this experience that exposed her to European Modernism, and her time abroad certainly affected her output in later years. The artist died in 1967 leaving behind an extensive oeuvre.