Historian Mary Garrard now has her place in history.
Last Monday at the Henry Seymour Library, a Mississippi Writers Trail historical marker unveiling honored the Indianola native.
“There are those who leave and those who stay, but we all have Mississippi in our souls,” Mary Garrard said.
Garrard, an Indianola native, has had an exceptional career over the years.
Receiving degrees from Newcomb College, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins, she went on to become professor emerita at American University in Washington, DC.
She is also named as “One of the founders of the feminine art history theory.”
In 1989, her groundbreaking book, Artemisia Gentileschi: The Image of the Female Hero in Italian Baroque Art, on 17th century Artemisia Gentileschi, skyrocketed the modern study of the famous artist.
She even stated that she felt inspired by Gentileschi’s paintings and wanted to discover more about her story, as well as her artistry. She went on to write more publications about the baroque artist and even co-wrote some books with Norma Broude, a fellow art historian and scholar of feminism.
At the unveiling, Marion Barnwell, Garrard’s sister and an author, said a few words on her behalf, stating how proud she was of her sister and her accomplishments.
Kristen Brandt, Mississippi Arts Commission’s art industry director, unveiled the marker and announced that it will be placed near the library.
