Jean Cory Beall (bornJean Susanna Cory; 23 May 1909 – 26 October 1978) was an American artist known for her large scale murals.
Beall lived and worked inSeattle[1] where her work is part of the permanent collection of theSeattle Art Museum.[2]
Jean Susanna Cory was born in Oakland, Alameda, California on 23 May 1909. Her father was a carpenter.
Beall studied at theCalifornia College of Arts and Crafts,Parsons School of Design in Paris, France, theInstitute Politecnico inMexico City and theArt Students' League inNew York City.[3]
In 1936 she assisted her then husband with preparing his preliminary design proposal for theBoeing 314 flying boat by producing colour paintings of the proposed interior of the aircraft.[4]
In 1957 Beall createdWater into Electricity (That Man May Use It Freely...), a 37 foot long mosaic in glass tile for the City Light building in Seattle.[5] The mural was moved to Seattle's Museum of History and Industry in 1996.[5]
In 1959 she created a 10.5 foot by 29.5 foot long mural for the General Administration Building inOlympia, Washington.[6][7] Created fromVenetian glasstesserae,[3][8] the mosaic was moved to the Washington State's Helen Sommers building next door in 2018.[9]
Beall was a large proponent of utilizing a portion of public construction budgets to help fund art. In 1961 she was invited to serve on the State's Inaugural Arts Commission but then Governor Albert Rosellini.[1]
In the Cathedral Church of St. Mark, Seattle, Washington State on 18 August 1934 she married aeronautical engineer Wellwood Edmeston Beall who went on to have a successful career at Boeing.
The couple had three children.The couple divorced in October 1968 in Los Angeles City, California.
In 1970 she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii.[10]She died at the age of 69 in Honolulu, Hawaii, on 26 October 1978.