Beatrice Wood

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Beatrice Wood was an American ceramicist and writer who was influential in the Avant Garde movement. She was a life member of the Theosophical Society in America. A photo essay of her life appears on the website of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts.

Theosophical Society involvement

Beatrice Wood was admitted as a member of the American Theosophical Society on December 1, 1923, sponsored by Russell Lloyd Jones and Leila E. Jones. She was initially a national member-at-large, but joined the Service Lodge in New York during 1924-1925. She maintained her membership until her death in 1998.

Young Dora van Gelder spent time in the homes of the Sellon family, Beatrice Wood, and Robert and Sara Logan early in 1927 in New York and New Jersey, before marrying Fritz Kunz on May 16th.

For a time Beatrice Wood lived in the Old Hollywood neighborhood in which the Krotona Theosophical colony had been prominent during 1911-1920. Her next-door neighbors were L. W. Rogers, his wife Maysie, and sons Stanley and Grayson, who lived at 2033 N. Argyle Avenue.

Miss Wood served as a member of the selection committee for the Olcott Foundation Awards.

Jiddu Krishnamurti was a friend of Miss Wood, and influenced her work.

Plays on Theosophical subjects

Miss Wood also wrote plays that she intended to be performed by Theosophical Society lodges. In 1931 The Theosophical Messenger reported:

"Beatrice Wood sends word that she has just completed a one-act play dealing with life after death that is suitable for Lodge production. It has four characters and is not difficult to set. She will be glad to send it to any Lodge interested. Perhaps this play would be valuable as a means of spreading theosophical truth.

The following year,

The Theosophical Press will undertake the publication of two Theosophical plays by Beatrice Wood, The Door That Did Not Close and Corridor E, if a sufficient number of orders are guaranteed in advance. The Door That Did Not Close has already been produced with genuine success by several lodges and the second new play comes highly recommended.

Writings

I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood was published in 1985 by Chronicle Books, San Francisco.

The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 22 articles written by Beatrice Wood and four about her.

Later years

Miss Wood continued her work with ceramics until 1987. When she was 100 years old, she delivered a commencement address at the Besant Hill School of Happy Valley. Two years before her death, Miss Wood was recognized at the annual convention as "the seniormost Fellow of the Theosophical Society in America in years of age in this incarnation." She was then 103 years old. In a series of resolutions, the artist was acclaimed a "one of our most faithful members" and "a world-famous ceramicist, artist, chocolate connoisseur, and inspirer of young men, as well as a greatly admired, honored, and loved member of the Theosphical Society who throughout her life has exemplified high ideals of art and living."

She died in Ojai on March 12, 1998, nine days after her 105th birthday. She famously attributed her longevity to "young men and chocolate."

Legacy

The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts is located in Ojai, California. In addition to museum space dedicated to Beatrice Wood, the center offers workshops in various arts, musical performances, and exhibitions.

The center has hosted such Theosophical events as a 3-day workshop with lectures by Richard Flores and Kevin Wallace on April 12-14, 2013:

This three-day workshop is based upon Thought Forms, the 1901 book by Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater that inspired Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Paul Klee and countless other artists. Participants will explore the ideas that pre-date and inspired abstract painting through insights into the processes of seeing and recording impressions in form and color.

Miss Wood was declared a "California Living Treasure" in 1997 by Governor Pete Wilson. The Smithsonian Institute named her "Esteemed American Artist” by the Smithsonian Institute in 1998.

The character of Rose DeWitt Bukater, "Old Rose," in the film Titanic was modeled after Beatrice Wood after director James Cameron read Wood's autobiography.

She couldn’t go to the premiere of Titanic so James Cameron and Gloria Stuart brought the video to her. She refused to watch it. She said it was too late in life to be sad.

Additional resources

Archival records

• Beatrice Wood papers, 1894-1998, bulk 1930-1990 at the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institute. Includes diaries; oral histories; art works and glaze books; correspondence; personal business records; photographs; and writings, such as drafts of her plays.

Books

• Clark, Garth. Gilded Vessel: The Lustrous Life and Art of Beatrice Wood. Guild Publishing, 2001.
• Wallace, Marlene. Playing Chess With the Heart: Beatrice Wood at 100. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994.

Video

• Excerpts from Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada, a 1993 documentary film written and directed by Tom Neff.
• Life Is an Art from Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts.
• Beatrice Wood by David Naranjo. Posted on YouTube on September 30, 2009. Interview with the artist, showing her glazing her ceramics.
• Beatrice Wood at 97 Excerpt by Carole Ewing McCartney. Posted on YouTube on December 8, 2013.
• Beatrice Wood 1993 Commencement Address Excerpt at Besant Hill School of Happy Valley.
• Beatrice Wood Remembers: Dada, Duchamp. Love & Tango. A Conversation with Beatrice Wood directed and written by Steven Watson. Interview conducted October, 1987 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Posted on YouTube on August 10, 2019.

Websites

• Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts.