Beverly Criley Graham

1935 - 2018

Beverly Criley Graham

The daughter of Audrey Morey Criley and Wayne Anthony Criley, Beverly was born in Brownville Texas, in June 1935. Beverly was raised in New York City and attended New York City Public Schools, including the prestigious High School of Music and Art in Manhattan. During her four years at HSM&A, she obtained an excellent academic and classical art education. A recipient of several national awards, Beverly was named a National Scholastic Achievement Artist for New York State. One of her paintings was exhibited to honor Eleanor Roosevelt on a visit to New York City.

To help pay for art supplies, Beverly modeled professionally in many New York fashion shows and for several national fashion magazines. As an art student, she continued to exhibit her paintings in New York shows and executed numerous commercial and private murals. One mural of her design, supervised by the world-famous artist Stuart Davis, was featured in the Museum of Natural History.

During the 1950's and 60's, Beverly attended the California School of Fine Art, exhibited art in San Francisco and Seattle at the University of Washington's Henry Gallery and the Pacific Northwest Arts & Crafts Fair. She continued her serious art studies in life classes with the distinguished Seattle artist, William Cumming. After earning an interior design degree from the New York School of Interior Design, she subsequently opened her own interior design business -

Bellevue Designed Interiors, which she operated until 1976.

In 1977, Beverly attended Harvard's Graduate School of Design, and graduated with honors from Yale University in the 1980s with both BA and MA degrees in History of Art. In 1980, she studied in England at Yale University's Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, and remained a lifelong, strong supporter of Yale University.

While living in Washington, D.C., she worked for The National Trust for Historic Preservation as a curatorial assistant. Additionally, she served on several national boards, including the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and was a past President of the Washington State Committee for the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Beverly was instrumental in organizing the first national exhibition of "Washington State Women Artists," in Washington, DC. She was a member of the Seattle Art Museum's Council of American Art, and a member of the Bellevue Arts, Frye, and Tacoma Art Museums.

Beverly was an art lecturer and fund raiser for the arts. She chaired the campaign to purchase the c.1850's Rembrandt Peale portrait of General George Washington for the Washington State Governor's Mansion. Beverly held the position of Curator of Art for the Governor's Mansion in Olympia, Washington for twenty-seven years and served as trustee of the Governor's Mansion Foundation and honored Trustee Emeritus. In 2013 she was nominated for the prestigious National Jefferson Award for Outstanding Community Service.

Beverly was married to John R. Graham of Bellevue, Washington and is the mother of Wayne Wager, Seattle, WA and Margit W. Moore, Kirkland, WA. She was step-mother to Jonathan Graham, Miami, FL. and Karl Graham, Klamath Falls, OR, grandmother to Austen and Bevan Moore, Emery and Abigail Wager, Benjamin and William Graham, and John Paul Schnapper-Casteras, also great-grandmother to Kellan, Campbell, Adriana, Ellison, and Daniela Moore.

Domestic and foreign travel always held great pleasure and adventure for her, and her educational visits included Japan, China, Philippines, Greece, Italy, France, Mexico, and Canada. Throughout her life, Beverly studied, created, and shared art with those she loved. For over sixty years, she designed, created, and regularly sent her own art cards to hundreds of family and friends who greatly appreciated her talent, thoughtfulness, and warm-hearted friendship.