Ethel Keesler Gilmour de Uribe

Ethel Keesler
Gilmour de Uribe
2/29/1940 - 9/22/2008
MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA -- Ethel Keesler Gilmour de Uribe, lover of art and life and of her husband of 35 years, Jorge, died peacefully in their home in Medellin, Colombia on Monday, September 22, 2008.
A celebrated artist in her adopted country, Ethel is known for art that embraces the culture and images of Colombia with wit, whimsy, bright colors, and gentleness while making bold social and political commentary.
Her journey to Colombia began in Cleveland, OH where she was born, in 1940, with her twin brother David to Mary Nash Keesler Gilmour and Dr. Monroe Taylor Gilmour. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Charlotte, NC. Ethel graduated from Myers Park High School in 1958 and from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA in 1962. She later received an MFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
While studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, she met and fell in love with Jorge Uribe, an artist and architect. They were married in Medellin in 1973 and both became beloved professors and mentors at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Medellin until they retired. Ethel continued teaching privately and exhibiting nationally for many years thereafter.
In 1997, Imelda Ramirez published a critical appraisal of Ethel's work in Visita La Obra de Ethel Gilmour. More recently, Ethel and her paintings were the basis for a children's book aimed at helping Colombian youth process the violence in their lives. Ethel Gilmour, Para Grandes y Chicos was written by Martha Villafane. In a recent tribute to Ethel's work, Ramirez and Villafane noted, 'With her images of tenderness and horror interlaced, Ethel constructs stories in which suffering transforms itself into justice and hope.'
Despite being ill the last two years, Ethel continued to paint and to mount large exhibitions. Throughout her life, she garnered much affection from those around her who were inspired both by her work and by her life. One of the commissioned projects she undertook was for the library system of her state of Antioquia. She was asked to depict the essence of twelve selected authors. The paintings were then reproduced in a calendar distributed through the libraries of the region. It was an apt assignment, given Ethel's lifelong love of literature. In 2008, a print of one of her paintings was given by the mayor of Medellin to each delegate attending the Organization of American States General Assembly there. The original painting now hangs in OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Ethel will be remembered by an extended family and many friends. These include husband Jorge Uribe; sister Betsy Gilmour Hyde and husband Hal of Southern Pines, NC; twin brother David Pollock Gilmour and wife Peggy of Hollis, NH; brother Monroe Taylor Gilmour and wife Fern Martin of Black Mountain, NC; and sister Gina Marquand Gilmour of Mattituck, NY. Ethel's many cousins, nieces, and nephews, including her niece Sally Hyde Mueller and husband Joe of Charlotte, were enthralled by her, and delighted in her sense of humor and her ability to connect with individuals of all ages. In an autobiographical statement at the end of the children's book, she writes: 'Ethel is a teacher and has thousands and thousands of students. Ethel loves her Jorge, her students, her animals, and her days to paint.'
There will be services for Ethel in Medellin, and the family will gather to plant a tree in her memory in the North Carolina mountains. As Ethel loved and painted flowers, the family suggests she be remembered by planting more of them and by supporting art programs in schools, art centers, and museums. Messages to Jorge and the family may be sent to mgilmour@main.nc.us.