Anne Johnson Banks

Anne Johnson Banks, 89, of Hartford, died peacefully on September 23, 2013 surrounded by her family. Beloved wife of the late William Ross Banks, Anne was the dear mother of Ellison Banks Findly, William Ross Banks, Jr., and Anne Broughton Banks, the dear grandmother of Caroline Reid Findly, Robert Ross Findly, Benjamin Banks Dobson, and the late Moira Fenno Dobson, and the dear great grandmother of Samuel, Edwin, and Elizabeth Dobson. Born in New London on August 10, 1924 to James Reid and Neva Palmer Johnson, Anne had three sisters, Neva Johnson Herrington, Diane Capers Johnson, and Reida Kimmel. She graduated from Gunston Hall in Washington DC, Wellesley College (B.S.), and George Washington University (M.F.A.). A chemistry major, Anne soon recognized her deep love of, and skill in, art and, around the time of her marriage to Bill, attended art school in New York City and Honolulu. Marriage to a naval officer meant picking up roots every two years or so, and during her time in California, Hawaii, Norfolk, Stonington, Scotland (UK), and finally northern Virginia Anne became a prolific and well-recognized artist. Settling outside of Washington DC, Anne was instrumental in establishing the commercial and fine arts program at Northern Virginia Community College (NoVa), Alexandria campus, which she chaired for several decades. A member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Anne was especially supportive of women artists and while on the board of Gallery 10 in Dupont Circle she encouraged artists doing experimental work. During her career in Washington DC, she wrote articles and reviews for city art journals, showed her work in numerous juried shows, taught fine and commercial art at NoVa, and wrote What is Design?, a book on design in context from prehistory to modern times. Anne Banks was a skilled artist who thought, lived and breathed in the world of art. In her works she used mythic, archetypal shapes, and appropriated these primal forms as meditations between man, nature, and divinity that radiated a peaceful, harmonic sphere (J.W. Mahoney). We will miss Anne tremendously, and are grateful for the love and support of her friends during this difficult time. A memorial service will be held in the Trinity College Chapel on October 5, 2013, at 1:30 pm. Donations in Anne’s name may be given to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, or The Phillips Collection, Washington DC.