‘Black Woman Sleeping on Subway’ by Mary Peterson Kestor, Syracuse, University of Northern Iowa, Urban

Signed lower left, ‘M. Kestor’ for Mary Peterson Kestor (American, 1948-2021) and painted circa 1965.

Born in Iowa, Mary Kestor first studied at the University of Northern Iowa, where she received her Bachelor’s in Art and, subsequently, at New York’s Syracuse University where she was awarded an MA in 1981.

At Syracuse, Kester taught fiber art classes for several years before becoming a freelance artist. Over a career that spanned 30 years, she exhibited her paintings and three-dimensional tapestries widely and with success and was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards.