With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Alice Walton Dunbar
Education/Curation, Sculpture
1923 – 1996
Alice Walton Dunbar was an art teacher who inspired generations of students at Pomfret School through her pedagogy and by her example as a working artist. She was also a regionally known sculptor in the media of bronze, carved stone and wood, and hand-built ceramics.
- Biography/Description of Work
Alice Dunbar was a sculptor and teacher at Pomfret School from 1956-1991. She grew up in Kingston, NY, and studied at the Boston Museum School from 1940-45. She majored in sculpture and held the Mrs. David Hunt Scholarship. She taught briefly at Concord Academy in Concord, MA and then at Spelman College of Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA until 1948. Following a fellowship from the Boston Museum School to study in Europe, Dunbar established a studio in Lomontville NY near Kingston, where she worked from 1948-1956. In 1957, Dunbar joined the faculty of Pomfret School, where she taught and worked for 35 years until her retirement. She exhibited in group shows throughout New England and New York State. On sabbatical leaves, she traveled to Afghanistan and Turkey (1958), around the world with her aunt, philosopher Suzanne Langer (1961), Africa (1963), Mexico (1969), and Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii (1983-84). Travel informed her teaching and her artwork.
- Sources view
- Interview with Caroline and Robert Sloat, 8/22/2014, at Pomfret School.
Pomfret School archives.
Cunningham, Jan. Pomfret Street National Register Historic District Nomination No. 98000372. National Park Service, 1998. - Associated Resource(s)