Nancy McCracken Morgan passed away peacefully on Jan. 6, 2015 at the Hospice wing of the Palm Beach Gardens Hospital in Palm Beach, Florida. A renowned artist and art educator, she taught in the Oak Ridge School System for 22 years bringing an appreciation for art and a desire to learn to thousands of elementary school students. Mrs. Morgan was the first art teacher selected as a Master Teacher by the State of Tennessee, and in 1989 she became the first full-time Tennessee State Evaluator for selecting Master Teachers in the field of art.
In addition to her accomplishments in art education, Nancy Morgan was also recognized for her own art – mostly in the areas of watercolor and mixed media. In 1996 she was selected East Tennessee Artist of the Year by the Tennessee Watercolor Society, and in 1998 she was selected State Artist of the Year. In 1998 her mixed media painting “The Pathway is Not the Destination” was selected to be part of Art.Rage.Us, a project sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society that featured art about breast cancer by breast cancer survivors (of which she was one). After initial showings in San Francisco and Los Angeles and the publication of a large format book that included her painting, the collection was selected by the Smithsonian Foundation and subsequently toured both domestically and internationally for two years.
Born June 20, 1930 to Bertha Lee Cox and Franklin Yates McCracken, Nancy was the youngest of four siblings with three older brothers – Roy, Frank, and Walter. Her mother died of complications from her birth, and as a result Nancy and her youngest brother Walter were raised in three households – that of her father in Knoxville TN, her Aunt Mattie Johnson of Asheville NC, and Dr. Charles and Helen Norburn of Biltmore Forest, Asheville, NC. As a young child she made her first trip to the Nesbitt/Norburn House on Pawley’s Island, SC - a special place for her and her family to which she returned annually for over 60 years.
Nancy graduated from Central High School in Knoxville TN in 1948, received an AA from Mars Hill Junior College in NC in 1950, and graduated with a BFA in Art Education from William & Mary in Richmond VA in 1953. While at Mars Hill she met and fell in love with Bill Morgan, who was drafted into the service during the Korean War upon graduation. After he returned from overseas, Bill and Nancy were married at the Norburn Estate in Biltmore Forest in 1953.
In addition to raising two sons, Steve and Ken Morgan, she spent much of her adult life teaching art. Her approach was infectious and earned her both popular and critical acclaim. She taught art in Raleigh NC from 1954-1958, in Knoxville TN in 1959, in Madison WI in 1968, and most extensively in Oak Ridge TN from 1970 – 1992. While most often a teacher, she also believed in continuing education and was a student for much of her adult life as well. She attended classes at NC State University, the University of Wisconsin, La Vern College in CA, the University of Tennessee, the Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN, and was a student and then eventually Adjunct Director of the Centro d’Arte Verrocchio in Casole, Siena, Italy.
Mrs. Morgan was a member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society, President of the Knoxville Watercolor Society, member of both the National and Tennessee Art Education Associations, was a committee member on Curriculum Planning and Development at the Oak Ridge School System, and was Chairman of the Curriculum Planning and Development Committee for Art and Elementary Teachers for the Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville TN.
A partial listing of the Exhibitions that included her original works of art, in addition to the Art.Rage.Us exhibition, included:
• The Tennessee Watercolor Society at the Arrowmont School
• The Knoxville Arts Council: Black History Celebration
• The International Jubilee Juried Exhibition by the Arts Council of Greater Knoxville
• The Tennessee Watercolor Society at the Hunter Museum, Chattanooga TN
• The Cumberland Art Society Museum
• Fountainhead Gallery
• The University of Tennessee Concourse Gallery
• The Oak Ridge Community Art Center
• The Dogwood Arts Festival Fine Arts Showcase
• The Tennessee State Museum
• The University of Tennessee Medical Center
Her husband of 44 years, Bill Morgan, passed away due to ALS in 1997. After 43 years living in Oak Ridge TN, she moved to Palm Beach FL in 2001 where she enjoyed beach-front living and being close to her family. She is survived by her brother, Frank McCracken of Laguna Beach CA, and her two sons Steve Morgan of Napa CA and Ken Morgan of Palm Beach FL and their families. A ceremony of Nancy’s life will take place on Jan. 31 at Noon at the Howard Price Funeral Home, 754 US Highway 1, in North Palm Beach, FL (561-848-9641). Donations in her name can be contributed to Florida Loves Children at 3615 Fiscal Court, Riviera Beach, FL. Questions or comments in regards to her passing can be directed to her son Steve at [email protected]
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