16 Facts About Marian MacDowell

Marian MacDowell was an American pianist and philanthropist.

In 1907, she and her husband Edward MacDowell founded the MacDowell Colony for artists in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Marian MacDowell's aunt Caroline Perkins of South Carolina was a talented musician who came to New York to teach piano.

Marian MacDowell had a log studio built in the woods where Edward MacDowell composed.

Marian MacDowell appreciated the place, which was visited by their artistic friends.

In 1904, Edward Marian MacDowell began to show evidence of a nervous disorder with bouts of dementia that ended his composing and teaching career.

In 1907, Marian MacDowell initiated her and Edward's plans for an artists' colony, founding a residential institution in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where artists could live in residence and work.

Marian MacDowell conceived of ways to support both artists' need for solitude and for interaction, and transferred the deed of property for Hillcrest Farm to the Edward MacDowell Association.

The Marian MacDowell Colony started to receive support from benefactors, such as Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.

Marian MacDowell shared her insights in Random Notes on Edward MacDowell and his Music.

Marian MacDowell inspired the formation of some of the MacDowell clubs and united ones that previously existed.

Marian MacDowell maintained close relationships with many of these clubs throughout her life, in addition to umbrella organizations such as the National Federation of Music Clubs and professional music sororities: Sigma Alpha Iota, Delta Omicron, Phi Beta, and Alpha Chi Omega.

Marian MacDowell said that women's groups raised far more money than did men's fraternities.

Marian MacDowell was traveling in the United States and Canada giving lectures and recitals until 1938.

Marian MacDowell died on August 24,1956, in Los Angeles, California.

Marian MacDowell was awarded honorary degrees from numerous academic, artistic and media institutions:.