Marcia Anne Macdonald, 51

Marcia Anne Macdonald of Greensboro, NC died on July 21, 2010 at Beacon Place, Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, of ovarian cancer. She was 51.

She was born on Dec. 10, 1958, in Waukegan, IL to Stewart R. Macdonald and Lydia Irvine Macdonald. She was the great-granddaughter of Wilson Henry Irvine, National Academy Painter of Chicago and Lyme, CT and became an acclaimed artist herself.

She attended Pelham Memorial High School when her family lived in Pelham, before relocating to Reston, VA.

Ms. Macdonald was an internationally recognized jeweler and metalsmith. She received a BFA in Design from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MFA in Metalsmithing/Jewelry from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. She was a teacher, visiting artist, and/ or guest lecturer at several schools, such as the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC; Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN; Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME; and the Oregon College of Arts and Crafts in Portland, OR.

Her work has appeared in professional publications and in curatorial, invitational, juried and solo exhibitions, as well as the Northwest Art Collection of the Tacoma Art Museum. She received numerous awards for her work, including the Craftman’s Choice Award at the 2002 Smithsonian Museum of Art Craft Show. She was a member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths and the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths. In addition to her work as an artist, she was the sales gallery manager at the Green Hill Center for NC Art in Greensboro.

She also enjoyed gardening, cooking, yoga, travel and visiting friends.

Ms. Macdonald is survived by her husband, Steve Newton, of Greensboro; her mother. Lydia Colwell of Exeter, NH; and her siblings: Laura Macdonald Gunning of Portsmouth, NH; Sarah Macdonald Ramsay of Stillwater, OK; and Andrew Stewart Macdonald of DeSoto, IL. She was predeceased by her father, Stewart Macdonald; her paternal grandparents, Stewart and Pauline Macdonald; and her maternal grandparents, Jan and Josephine Irvine.

A memorial service will be held at the Green Hill Center for NC Art in Greensboro.

Memorial contributions are being made in her name to the Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, 2500 Summit Ave., Greensboro, NC 27405.

This is part of the July 30, 2010 online edition of The Pelham Weekly.