Christine "Cris" R. Glasell
Born in Vienna, Austria and an American immigrant in 1904, Criss enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago and decorated hand-painted lampshades at a nearby shop. Don Glasell, her future husband, worked as a line supervisor at the plant; the couple married in June 1925. After moving from Chicago, they settled in Dubuque, Iowa and became involved with the Dubuque Art Center. Both Criss and Don worked as professional artists. In addition to her Chicago art studies, she also received art training from her husband and was a member of 1932-33 Stone City Art Colony. Grant Wood and Adrian Dornbush served as her major advisors.
After winning several awards at the Iowa Art Salon (1931-1940), Criss was awarded the WPA mural commission for the Leon, Iowa post office, named “Rural, Free Delivery.” Her painting, “Wheat Shocks,” was selected to represent Iowa at Rockefeller Center (NYC) in 1937 after winning awards from the Central States Fair [Aurora, IL], Iowa Federation of Women’s Clubs, and the Dubuque Artists Show (1931). A third painting, “All American Tea Party,” shown at the 1936 Iowa Art Salon, garnered national attention at the ACA Gallery in New York City in 1937. The Glasells maintained an art studio on Dubuque’s Main Street for many years, making ceramics and hosting art association gatherings. During the Great Depression, the couple became regionally known for painting portraits at area fairs and bazaars.
A member of the Iowa Artists Club, the National Association of Women Artists, the American Artists Congress, and Cooperative Mural Painters Group (1936), Glasell won several awards through the Dubuque Art Association. Exhibitions featuring her paintings occurred at the Philadelphia Water Color Show, the Little Gallery [Cedar Rapids], the Corcoran Gallery, the American Artists Congress, the Iowa Federation of Women’s Clubs exhibit (1932), and the Midwestern Exhibit, Kansas City. Glasell had solo exhibitions in Des Moines, Mason City, Cedar Rapids, and other Iowa cities. Following her husband’s death in 1965, Criss moved to Evanston, Illinois to be with her only son. She died there in 1971.
Source: https://projects.mtmercy.edu/stonecity/artists/glasellc.html
