Esther Sprague

Esther Sparks Sprague died on April 3, 2015 in time to have cocktails with her dearly deceased husband, Phil Sprague. She was born in Washington D.C. to Aaron and Helen Millman who preceded her in death as did her dear sister, Sidney Margolis, and her first husband, Jack Sparks. She is survived by her two daughters Vicki Sparks Reinke (Don Reinke), Amy Sparks (Todd Nesser), step-daughters Laura Richardson (Bruce Richardson) and Shelley Sprague (Steven Barasz) and her adored grandchildren Aaron Nesser and Sienna Nesser. Esther was a brilliant woman. Her curiosity about the world was manifested in many ways and she shared her enthusiasms and knowledge generously throughout her life. At age sixteen, she left Washington DC for the first time to become one of twelve Hutchinson Scholars in her class at the University of Chicago. Working as a volunteer in Peoria, Illinois in the 1960s, she started by doing everything from making the curtains to choosing the artwork for the opening exhibition of Peoria's Lakeview Museum, 200 Years of American Painting. She moved to Chicago in 1966 and earned a Ph.D. in art history in 1970 from Northwestern University. She was always grateful to her father-in-law, Harold Sparks, for supporting her graduate studies. She then joined the Prints and Drawings Department at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1985, she left her position as Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings to direct the W. Graham Arader III Gallery in Chicago. She served on the Art Advisory Panel of Beloit College (1974-78) where she met her beloved second husband Phillip Sprague. She wrote extensively including her books Universal Limited Art Editions: the First 25 Years, and Olaf Kranz: A Prairie Vision, published only a few months before her death. She taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, Valparaiso University, the School for Continuing Studies at Northwestern, and in the art department and honors college at the University of Mississippi. She lectured throughout the country. As an adjunct professor since 1996, she truly loved teaching at the University of Mississippi. She taught until a week before her death. Her students brought her great joy and will remember her with affection as a strict grammarian and advocate for learning to write and speak with clarity and confidence. She loved teaching at the University of Mississippi and was especially attracted to the region's folk art. She recognized that genius could occur anywhere and emphasized that in her teaching. According to her dear friend Elizabeth Payne, "She always looked for what was good and excellent and she found so much." In Mississippi and Chicago, the conversations at her frequent dinner parties always sparkled. She established a rich circle of many dear friends who treasured her as she treasured them. Services are private. In her memory, in lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Art Department, The University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave, Oxford, MS 38655 or to the charity of your choice. Condolences may be sent to the hollandfuneraldirectors@comcast.net.