The Ridge Historical Society
Beverly Art Walk – Bringing together the past and the present
By Carol Flynn
The 2022 Beverly Art Walk will be held on Saturday, September 17. This year, the community’s cultural assets are being celebrated, and the Ridge Historical Society is happy to be featured.
The current exhibit, Hetherington Design Dynasty, looks at three generations of the Hetherington family who lived on the Ridge – John Todd, his son Murray, and Murray’s son John Murray.
For the Art Walk, a new section is being added to the exhibit, the artwork of Mildred Lyon Hetherington.
Mildred Lyon was born in New York in 1892. The family moved to Chicago, and Mildred attended the School of the Art Institute (SAIC), where she met Murray Hetherington, an architecture student. Mildred graduated from the SAIC in 1914, the same year her family moved to Beverly, where the Hetherington family also lived.
Mildred and Murray married in 1924. They had two children, John “Jack” Murray, and Mary.
Mildred had a long career as an artist. She was famous for her portraits and for illustrating children’s books. The RHS exhibit will feature selections of her works, some on loan from the Hetherington family.
Including a historic exhibit in the Art Walk ties together the past and the present of the arts community on the Ridge. In upcoming posts, we will look at Mildred’s place in this community, including her connection to John H. Vanderpoel and the Vanderpoel Art Association.
Portrait of Murray Hetherington by Mildred Lyon Hetherington, on loan for the Ridge Historical Society’s exhibit, Hetherington Design Dynasty, from the Vanderpoel Art Association.