Woman of the Century/Mary Dana Hicks

HICKS, Mrs. Mary Dana, art educator, born in Syracuse, N. Y., 7th October, 1862. Her father was Major Dana and her mother Agnes A. J. Dana. Mr. Dana died in 1882. Mrs. Dana still lives. MARY DANA HICKS. Mrs. Hicks received a very thorough and advanced education. Her husband was Charles S. Hicks, of Syracuse. Her married life was brief. Her husband was drowned. Mrs. Hicks rallied from the shock and sorrow that came upon her, and, with the thought of her child's education in mind, renewed her interest in educational matters. She entered the high school of Syracuse as art teacher, and finally took the supervision of such teaching in all the schools of the city. She was largely instrumental in founding the Social Art Club of Syracuse. Mrs. Hicks appeared before the Woman's Congress in 1875 and 1876, urging that the subject of art education should be promoted by associations for study similar to the Social Art Club and Portfolio Club of Syracuse, and that public exhibitions, loan exhibitions and museums should be established. She urged the matter through art and educational journals. The fame of her work went beyond her city, and in 1879 she was called to Boston to assist in the Prang art educational work in the public schools. Mrs. Hicks brought to the art educational movement exceptional qualifications for directorship. She had received not only a fine technical art training, but she had also made a thorough study of the history and literature of art On the educational and practical side her preparation has been no less broad and strong. As the art educational movement has developed throughout the country during the past twelve years, Mrs. Hicks has been recognized as one of the leaders. She is deeply interested in the kindergarten and industrial movements in education, and has done much to bring them into harmony with art teaching in the public schools. She is a fine speaker. She is one of the pioneers in summer-school teaching, being one of the faculty with Col. Francis W. Parker in Martha's Vineyard in 1883. At the present time Mrs. Hicks is director of the Prang Normal Art Classes in Boston, Mass., and associate author and editor of the Prang art educational publications.