Mary Ann Macdonald was born in Raglan, Queensland on 7 December 1868, one of the seven daughters (six of whom established themselves in the nursing profession as matrons of hospitals or nursing homes) and one boy born to Donald Macdonald and his wife Ann née Frazer. She trained as a nurse and in later years became matron of the St George’s Nursing Home, Milton Heights as well as secretary of the Bush Nurses Association. She began pottery classes with L. J. Harvey at the Central Technical College from about 1924 and became one of Harvey’s most dedicated students attending classes for 25 years in all. The living room in her home became filled with examples of her pottery and china painting. Her cousin Annie Fraser Mitchell stayed with her and also studied with Harvey, transferring his teaching methods to her home town of Adelaide. Macdonald, following Harvey’s instruction, also carved substantial pieces, such as wardrobes. She exhibited pottery at the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association 1925-29 and received several prizes and highly commended awards and exhibited extensively at the Royal Queensland Art Society with collections of pottery and china painting between 1932 and 1942 and pottery only in 1945 and 1947.

She was included in the Third Annual Exhibition of Work by Art Students of the Central Technical College in November-December 1934 and the Sixth Annual Exhibition in November 1937. Her work may have been included in the 1935 and 1936 exhibitions but the exhibitors are not individually cited. She also exhibited pottery in the Technical Colleges competitive section of the Society of Arts and Crafts of New South Wales in 1935, and a brown and cream vase at a student’s exhibition at Horsham House during the 1940s. Most of her work is typical of the Harvey School but she occasionally favoured a Chinese inspiration in her work. Mary Macdonald was described as Harvey’s longest serving student in 1950 when she handed over a bust of 'The critic’ (carved by L. J. Harvey) to the University of Queensland to commemorate his death in 1949. She died in Brisbane on 20 March 1955.

Queensland Art Gallery: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage

Writers:

Cooke, Glenn R. Note: Research Curator, Queensland Heritage, Queensland Art Gallery

Date written:

2003

Last updated:

2011