Sister Esther Newport, S.P.

Place: Clinton

Born: 1901

Death: 1986

Biography:

Esther Newport, also known as Sister Esther Newport, S.P., was an American painter, sculptor, and art educator. She was born in Clinton, Indiana, in 1901 and entered the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1918, taking the religious name Sister Esther. She earned a bachelor's degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1932 and an MFA from Syracuse University in 1939. Newport was known for her artistic portrayal of religious subjects and exhibited her works across the United States, including in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Students League. She founded the Catholic Art Association in 1937 and served as its first director, and later founded the Salve Regina Conference in 1958. Newport died in 1986.