Mary White (designer)
Encyclopedia
Mary White, in 1912, in Mount Morgan, Queensland
, Australia
was a designer and crafts adviser.
In 1932 she married Rupert Vivian White in Sydney
, Australia.
In 1950 she began her career with Russell Roberts as a freelance designer. A year later she was one of the founding members of the Society of Interior Designers of Australia. In 1954 she opened a shop in Edgecliff
, selling custom furniture
made from her own drawings.
Commissions include:
In 1961 she converted the shop to the Mary White School of Art. The school taught about colour and the skills of an interior decorator. A full design course was offered and public lectures were held in the evenings. For the next two years, to manage the running costs of the school, she worked as a consultant and conducted a series of public lectures on Art History
and Modern Art
, with H.D. Nicholson and H.G. Kaplan.
From 1962 to 1971 she was the President of the Society of Interior designers of Australia. In 1964 she was a founding member of the Craft Association of New South Wales
. Later that same year she was the Chair of Steering Committee for the Foundation of the Crafts Council of Australia. From 1965 to 1972, she was the State Representative to the Australian Society for Education through the Arts.
Between 1967 - 1968, she wrote a series of monthly articles on homes and her own photographs were used. In 1971, she was also appointed Craft Adviser on Aboriginal Projects to the Craft Council. In that same year, she closed her school and moved to Adelaide
, to work for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. In '76 she was appointed Senior Community Adviser at Dubbo, New South Wales
. A year later she retired at age 65 from Commonwealth Public Services and the year after, she visited the Solomon Islands
for the World Crafts Council
. In 1979 she was part of the South Pacific Commission and that same year she taught with the Aboriginal Land Fund Commission.
In 1981 she died, aged 69, and was buried in the Wellington General Cemetery.
Mount Morgan, Queensland
Mount Morgan is a town located in central Queensland, Australia. It is situated on the Dee River, 38 kilometres south of the city of Rockhampton, and is 680 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The Burnett Highway passes through the town...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
was a designer and crafts adviser.
In 1932 she married Rupert Vivian White in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia.
In 1950 she began her career with Russell Roberts as a freelance designer. A year later she was one of the founding members of the Society of Interior Designers of Australia. In 1954 she opened a shop in Edgecliff
Edgecliff
Edgecliff may refer to:* Edgecliff , historic building* Edgecliff College* Edgecliff Village, Texas* Edgecliff, New South Wales...
, selling custom furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
made from her own drawings.
Commissions include:
- Australian Consolidated PressAustralian Consolidated PressACP Magazines , a subsidiary of the Nine Entertainment Co., is an Australian media company. It publishes the Australian Women's Weekly and the Australian edition of Woman's Day....
House in CanberraCanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne... - Sydney Morning Herald Office
- office of James FairfaxJames FairfaxJames Oswald Fairfax, AC , Australian company director and arts patron, was born in Sydney, eldest son of Sir Warwick Oswald Fairfax....
- Senate conference room at University of SydneyUniversity of SydneyThe University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
- A.M.A.Australian Medical AssociationThe Australian Medical Association is a professional association for Australian doctors and medical students.The AMA uses a representative structure involving state branches and committees to work with members to promote and protect the interests of doctors.The mechanisms that allow this include:*...
conference room - Weston's biscuit factory at CamperdownCamperdown, New South WalesCamperdown is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Camperdown is located 4 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Inner West region...
, and - A special design for General Motors Holden
In 1961 she converted the shop to the Mary White School of Art. The school taught about colour and the skills of an interior decorator. A full design course was offered and public lectures were held in the evenings. For the next two years, to manage the running costs of the school, she worked as a consultant and conducted a series of public lectures on Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
and Modern Art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
, with H.D. Nicholson and H.G. Kaplan.
From 1962 to 1971 she was the President of the Society of Interior designers of Australia. In 1964 she was a founding member of the Craft Association of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Later that same year she was the Chair of Steering Committee for the Foundation of the Crafts Council of Australia. From 1965 to 1972, she was the State Representative to the Australian Society for Education through the Arts.
Between 1967 - 1968, she wrote a series of monthly articles on homes and her own photographs were used. In 1971, she was also appointed Craft Adviser on Aboriginal Projects to the Craft Council. In that same year, she closed her school and moved to Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, to work for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. In '76 she was appointed Senior Community Adviser at Dubbo, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. A year later she retired at age 65 from Commonwealth Public Services and the year after, she visited the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
for 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...
. In 1979 she was part of the South Pacific Commission and that same year she taught with the Aboriginal Land Fund Commission.
In 1981 she died, aged 69, and was buried in the Wellington General Cemetery.