BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS  

Unina Frances Hall

April 5 1891 - April 3 1978

B.C. Art League
Vancouver School Board (Teachers Certificate 1921, Vancouver Art Supervisor 1944)
B.C. Teacher's Federation
West Vancouver Sketch Club exh 1955 - 1976


Unina F. Hall was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. She apparently moved to Canada with her family by at least 1910. She took her oath of allegiance on November 6, 1917. The "List of Aliens to Whom Certificates of Naturalization ... etc." noted that she was a teacher, living at 1301 Davie Street, Vancouver. The City Directory also lists her father Thomas Proctor Hall, a physician, living at that address, as well as her sister Amy Violet Hall. The 1914 Directory also listed Violet as an artist. The 1917 Directory lists Unina as a teacher, Florence Nightingale School.

The image above is from the 1913-1914 Annual of the Provincial Normal School, at 12th & Cambie St. in Vancouver. The art teacher at the School at the time was John Kyle, which means that Hall received her art teacher training from the man who is arguably the top art educator in BC's history, himself an excellent artist.

Hall became an "art specialist" teaching in various Vancouver High Schools, receiving her certificate to teach art from the Vancouver School Board in 1921. The 1921 School Trustees Annual Report noted that "Miss Hall is on duty at Britannia and King George High Schools" as an art specialist. S.P. Judge was the only other art specialist teaching in Vancouver high schools (King Edward and Kitsilano) at the time, indicating the high level of her qualifications.

She was listed as an Active Member in the 1925 B.C. Art League List of Members, living at 1301 Davie Street, Vancouver.

In 1934 she was teaching at King Edward High School in Vancouver. A 1940 Vancouver School Board publication noted that she had a Bachelor's Degree (BA), but not where she studied.

She exhibited artwork in the annual B.C. Artists exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery from 1943 to 1948, in 1952, and from 1954 to 1956. Information on file noted that she was living in Garrow Bay from 1943 to 1947, and in Vancouver in 1948.

Hall was appointed Art Supervisor for all Vancouver schools in 1944. By 1958 she was retired from that position.

The 1950 City Directory lists her as "Hall Unina F. sch art supvr City r 6238 S. (?) Wellington Horseshoe Bay."

BC Vital Statistics states that she died in North Vancouver in 1978 at the age of 86.


Arbutus

One of her oil paintings, "Arbutus", previously exhibited with the West Vancouver Sketch Club, was auctioned by Westcoast Estates in October 2003, the auctioneer noting that she had been a student of Emily Carr's. Also, he told an unfortunate story of going to Hall's house to handle her estate, only to find relatives burning handfuls of her watercolour paintings in the fireplace to keep themselves warm, the heat having been turned off in the house. I made a note on the auction catalogue that an estimated 1,000 paintings had been burned, and 1,000 saved from the relatives.


GROUP EXHIBITIONS
DATE EXHIBITION ARTWORK
1943 Sept. 25 - Oct. 20 VAG   B.C. Artists 12th Annual Portrait
Snow
1944 Sept. 23 - Oct. 22 VAG   B.C. Artists 13th Annual Gray Day
1945 May 18 - June 10 BCSFA   35th Annual Ravine
1945 Sept. 22 - Oct. 21 VAG   B.C. Artists 14th Annual Seventeen
1946 Sept. 21 - Oct. 13 VAG   B.C. Artists 15th Annual Winter
1946 ? - ? VAG    Selections from 15th BCA Winter
1947 April 12 - 13 WVCAC   Exhibition of Fine Arts Evening
Seventeen
1947 Sept. 20 - Oct. 12 VAG   B.C. Artists 16th Annual Phantasy
1948 Sept. 18 - Oct. 10 VAG   B.C. Artists 17th Annual Cloud Forms

References

WEST VANCOUVER SKETCH CLUB - LIST OF MEMBER 1947-1977 (refer to WVSC)

B.C. VITAL STATISTICS ON-LINE death (refer to BCVS)

Clippings

"At the last meeting of the Surrey School Board considerable important business was transacted and the following appointments were made: Hall's Prairie. Division 1, Miss Unina Hall."
      Vancouver Daily World, August 3 1916, page 15

"Art Specialist Miss Unina F. Hall has been offered the position of art specialist in the Britannia and Kitsilano high schools, her duties to commence on the opening of the fall term in September."
      Vancouver Daily World, March 25 1921, page 9

"Dr. and Mrs. T.P. Hall and Miss Violet Hall, who have been visiting on the Continent and in England have returned home. Miss Unina Hall remained in England, where she will continue the study of art."
      Vancouver Sun, September 15 1925

"Other students who enjoyed the outing at the Royal Savory (sic) Hotel were ... Miss Unina Hall ... "
      From "Art Students Hold Display of Summer Work"
      Vancouver Province, July 4 1933

"Officers of Sections of B.C.T.F. for 1938-1939 Art Section: Miss Unina F. Hall, 1627 West 37th Ave., Vancouver B.C."
      The B.C. Teacher, June 1938, page 495

"Staff of Vancouver High School: ... Hall, Miss U.F., B.A., 1924-25; from 1926"
      First Fifty Years 1890-1940: Vancouver High Schools
      Published by Vancouver School Board, 1940.

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