Stone + Press | Stone + Press Artists | John McCrady

John McCrady, born in Canton, Mississippi, was the son of a minister. After a brief stint at the University of Mississippi, McCrady enrolled at the New Orleans Art School sponsored by the Arts and Crafts Club. One of his drawings was selected in a competition which earned the artist a one year scholarship to the Art Students League in New York. Upon his return from the League in 1934, McCrady took up residence in the Vieux Carre in New Orleans and began to paint the regionalist and religious themes that made his reputation. He worked on the Louisiana WPA from 1936 through the early 40s. In 1940, McCrady joined the roster at Associated American Artists. Caroline Durieux was working in lithography at the time and his decision to work in that medium was inspired by her enthusiasm. Under Durieux's direction, McCrady also produced four silkscreens to aid the war effort. McCrady produced just 9 lithographs in his career. By 1954 McCrady began to devote most of his time to teaching and he opened the John McCrady Art School on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. In 1975, the New Orleans Museum of Art mounted a major retrospective of his work.