Local abstract artist, printmaker dies at 94

Corrie McCallum Halsey, a state Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Award recipient for her contributions to the artistic life of South Carolina, died Monday after a long illness. She was 94.

Halsey was a printmaker and abstract artist whose work goes back to 1939. She is listed in Who's Who in Art in America and studied at the University of South Carolina and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Her work was included in the exhibit "100 Years, 100 Artists" held in 1999 at The State Museum.

Her artistic career spanned 70 years and unfolded alongside that of her husband, the late painter William Halsey, for whom the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is named at the College of Charleston.

The two left South Carolina to study at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts after they met at USC, and then studied art in Mexico for a year. The experience left a lasting impression on both artists, giving them a love of travel and ethnic art forms.

When they returned to South Carolina after World War II, they taught art at the Gibbes Museum of Art and the College of Charleston, and mentored young artists along the way. They started a family, and McCallum, who kept her maiden name on her work, continued her art while raising three children.

"Corrie McCallum was a leader in Charleston's artistic community for most of the 20th century," said Angela Mack, executive director and chief curator at the Gibbes Museum of Art. "She was an inspiration to many artists and was heavily involved in education activities at the Gibbes for well over 30 years."

McCallum's favorite art form in her later years was the monotype. A single image is created by making a painting on a plate, then running it through a press onto paper. But she also was proud of teaching artists not only the principles of drawing and painting, but the importance of the artistic life.

"She was a great example of a woman ahead of her time, continuing her own creative work as long as her body allowed," said Lese Corrigan, artist, gallery owner, and president of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association.

Mark Sloan, director and senior curator of the Halsey Institute said of McCallum, "As an artist, she was a restless innovator, constantly experimenting with new techniques and materials. Her lyrical style and subtle use of light, form and color demonstrate that she was a mature artist at a young age.

"In addition to her artistry, she was a great humanitarian. She had a wonderfully developed wit that could soothe as well as amuse. She and William were really the twin pillars of the arts in Charleston between the Charleston Renaissance and the Pluralism of today. They carried forth a tradition that will never go out of favor because it is based so firmly in what it is to be human."

She is survived by her children, Paige Slade, David Halsey and Louise Halsey; her grandchildren, David Slade, Heather Halsey, Julian Slade, Alice Driver, Ian Driver and Mia Halsey; and her great-grandchildren, Duncan Eisen-Slade, Malcolm Slade and Laura Slade.