Broderick, Virginia.

Born July 29, 1917, Milwaukee, WI; died 2004. Artist specializing in religious subjects. Virginia Gaertner (neé Broderick) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 29, 1917 to George and Lois (Lamb) Gaertner. After attending public grade and junior high schools, she enrolled at Holy Angels Academy where she converted to the Catholicism, edited the school paper, The Arial, and graduated at the top of her class. Her academic achievements at Holy Angels Academy won her three scholarships. She chose to attend Mundelein College where she also edited a literary magazine and poetry annual. Virginia graduated from Mundelein College in 1939 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts magna cum laude. While at Mundelein College she augmented her art studies studying under Samuel Giesbert at the Chicago Art Institute and Gerett Sicnlair at Layton Art School in Milwaukee. In July 1941, Virginia married Robert C. Broderick, an editor, encyclopedist, and author. Just after graduation, Virginia took a position as Artist for Morrison Advertising Agency and began to illustrate books for publishing companies; thus, her sixty-five year long professional career began. Her professional activities included (among others) calendars, leaflet missal covers, book and bulletin covers, envelopes, Christmas cards, paintings, design and illustration. Among her commissioned works are church interior decoration, stained glass windows, murals and statues. Virginia was soon deemed the most prolific Catholic artist of her day; her artwork can be found in more than thirty-five churches and institutions in the United States, Canada, Korea and Italy. For her artistic achievement Virginia received the Mundelein Alumnae Silver Medal and the First Pauline Convert Award for Apostolic Church Service, with preeminence in Catholic Art. Virginia Broderick died in 2004.