GRACE HARTIGAN (1922-2008) was a self-taught artist who was born in Newark and grew up in Millburn. From her obituary we learned she was an Abstract Expressionist painter once hailed as the leading female artist of her generation who later turned to teaching and led a Baltimore art school to national prominence.
While in Millburn, Ms. Hartigan lived at 527 Wyoming Avenue and wrote of the influence on her art that time of her life had on her: “…from her unseen perch in a flowering apple tree, Grace Hartigan spied on the gypsy families whose caravans were parked in an empty field next to her home — an exotic sight in the 1930s in placid Millburn, New Jersey. Grace wanted to be a detective when she grew up, but her stakeout was driven by sheer visual delight. She was captivated by the women’s lustrous, brightly colored skirts and large golden earrings, by the knives the men sharpened, glinting ominously in the sunlight, and by the flicker of bonfires that cooked mysterious food in big, black pots. She yearned to make friends with these fascinating people, but her mother, muttering darkly about gypsies stealing children, had forbidden any contact.” (excerpt from Restless Ambition: Grace Hartigan, Painter by Cathy Curtis)
An article in a later edition of the Miller newsletter from Millburn High School noted: “While at MHS, Miss Hartigan was assistant editor of the Millwheel, a student council representative, a member of the Press and Forum clubs, and an honor student. she was most noted, however, for her acting ability and was voted Best Actress in the class.”
The caption under Grace Hartigan’s 1940 MHS yearbook photo ends with an observation that “the honor roll just wouldn’t be the honor roll without Grace” and I suspect the same could be said of her influence on art.