Margery Ryerson was born in 1886, graduated from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1909, and moved to New York City in 1911, where she lived until her death in 1989 at the age of 102. Ryerson studied under famed art instructors, Robert Henri and Charles W. Hawthorne, and worked with each to compile their classroom lessons into published instructional guides.
The book she co-authored with Henri, The Art Spirit, is still in print today, more than 100 years after its publication, and remains one of the most influential books ever written about the nature of art and creativity, the artist’s place in society, and the importance of building on what came before.
While Ryerson is widely known within the art world for her influential writing, she also created beautiful and lasting works of art. Most notably, her depictions of the poor and immigrant children going about their daily activities in New York City’s settlement houses from the 1920s through the 1940s capture an important chapter in our State’s history.
The exhibition includes artifacts and information about New York’s settlement houses to help place Ryerson’s work within its historical context.
State Museum Exhibition Underway
Works of art by Ryerson are included in the collections of some of the world’s leading museums, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; the Cleveland Museum of Art; the Brooklyn Museum; the Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, Italy; and the Bibliotheque Nationale, in Paris, France.
A new exhibition at the New York State Museum in Albany, Margery Ryerson: Art is Contagious, is now open for public viewing. The exhibit features more than 80 works spanning Margery Ryerson’s career, including vibrant paintings, delicate watercolors, intricate prints, and evocative drawings. The collection celebrates Ryerson’s deep connections to New York and her remarkable yet understated impact on the art world.
The exhibition is located in the New York State Museum’s West Gallery and is on view through September 7, 2025.
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