Monica Stanisia

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Artist Details

  • Monica
  • Kurkowski
  • family changed name from Kurkowski to Kurk Sister Mary Stanisia
  • Stanisia
  • n/a
  • n/a
  • May 4, 1878
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • January 28, 1967
  • Elm Grove, Wisconsin
  • Polish
  • 1896-1899: School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    March 1899-?: St. Mary’s, Michigan City, Indiana

    ?: Academy of Our Lady, Longwood, Chicago, Illinois

    ?-1967: Notre Dame Infirmary, Elm Grove, Wisconsin
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Michigan City, Indiana

    Chicago, Illinois

    Elm Grove, Wisconsin
  • Mixed Media, Mosaic artist, Muralist, Painter-Oil, Stained Glass
  • Academy of Our Lord, Chicago, Illinois (parish of St. Stanislaus)
    (?-1893): student of Count Thaddeus von Zukotynski. Munich, Germany (religious and landscape painting, sculpture)
    1896-1899: novice at School Sisters of Notre Dame, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    1915-1922: student of Robert Clarkson, Chicago, Illinois
    1916-1919: BFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; student of Leopold Seyffert; student of John Norton (murals); Student of Frank Peyraud (landscape painting); Student of Albin Polasek (sculpture); student of Wellington Reynolds (academic figure painting)
    Student of Charles Hawthorne, Provincetown, Massachusetts
    1922: received Bachelor of Philosophy, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
  • ?- 1893: Europe
  • Array
  • 1917: student exhibition, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Her Great Grandmother’s Wedding Gown

    1925: Eucharistic Congress, Chicago, Illinois – Little Flower of Jesus, portrait of Bishop J.F. Noll of Fort Wayne, two Madonnas

    1930: Exhibition and Festival of Religious Art, Renaissance Society, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

    1932: Warsaw International Fair, Warsaw, Poland

    June 1-November 1, 1933: Century of Progress Exhibition, The All Illinois Society of the Fine Arts, The Stevens Hotel, Chicago, Illinois; The Honorable Henry Horner, Governor of Illinois

    1934: Century of Progress World’s Fair, Chicago, Illinois

    1935: Davis Galleries, Evanston, Illinois [solo]
  • Adreian College, Michigan

    Holy Cross Church, Chicago, Illinois

    St. Joseph's Hospital, Chicago, Illinois

    St. Margaret's Church, Chicago, Illinois

    Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    St. Paul Cathedral, Minnesota

    Washington DC College of Cardinals, Washington, D.C.
    1. E. Blankenship, "Cathedral to Get Nun's Art," Chicago Daily Journal, July 11, 1928.
    Bulliet, C.J., “Artists of Chicago Past & Present: No. 56 Sister Mary Stanisia,” Chicago Daily News, March 14, 1936. Cozzolino, Robert. “Sister Maria Stanisia” in Rima Lunin Schultz and Adele Hast, eds. Women Building Chicago, 1790-1990: A Biographical Directory.  Bloomington, IN: University of Indiana Press, 2001. Jewitt, Eleanor.  "Nun Portrays Exquisite Face of Christ Child," Chicago Tribune, August 19, 1928. Kendall, Veva Elton. "Lives of Great People:  Sister Mary Stanisia," Catholic Women Magazine. Clem Lane, "Catholics Seek Sainthood for Peruvian Negro," Chicago Tribune, March 19, 1937. Lennon, R.A. “Nun Commissioned to Paint Cardinal,” Chicago Evening Post, December 16, 1924; Long,  Hersur. "Nun's Painting is Known as a Mystic Valentine," The New World, February 24, 1928. -----. “Painting of St. Therese by Nun Called the Story of a Rose,” The New World, March 9, 1928. -----. “Stations of the Cross,” The New World,  January 13, 1928. Poles of Chicago, 1837-1937, Chicago, IL: Polish Pageant, Inc., 1937. Margaret Weilert, "Convent Artist Does Mural for Cathedral," Chicago Evening Post, July 17, 1928
  • Art Guild of Chicago, Longwood, Chicago, Illinois; founder in 1930
  • honorable mention for especially commendable work in life and portrait painting from Art Institute of Chicago

    1932: Silver Medal, International Fair, Warsaw, Poland
  • The Leon T. Walkowicz Collection, Loyola University Chicago Archives, Chicago, Illinois Archives of the Provincial House, Chicago Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Berwyn, Illinois Archives of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
  • Director of Art Department, Longwood Academy of Our Lady. Longwood, Illinois

    member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

    fall 1899-fall 1905: taught art, Our Lady of Lourdes, Marinette, Wisconsin

    1905-1907: taught art, St. Mary’s Academy, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin

    1907-past 1929: taught at Academy of Our Lady, Longwood, Chicago, Illinois; founded fine arts program, served as director

    1929-: founded department of art and was teacher at Mount Mary College, Milwaukee

    restored some of Zukotynski‘s works at the Basilica of St. Hyacinth, and the churches of St. Stanislaus Kostka and Holy Cross in Chicago

    also the founder of the Fine Arts Guide in Chicago and Milwaukee , Wisconsin
  • St. Margaret of Scotland Parish page on Stations of the Cross