Mary Lee Hu was born in Lakewood, Ohio, in 1943. She attended

Cranbrook Academy of Art where she earned her BFA in metalsmithing

in 1965 and earned her MFA in metalsmithing from Southern Illinois

University in 1967. In 1967 she married Tah-Kai Hu and was widowed

in 1972. Hu elected to keep her married name after her husband’s

passing. Hu held several teaching positions, including Southern Illinois

University-Carbondale (1968-1969); University of Iowa (fall 1975);

Kansas State University (summer 1976); University of Wisconsin-

Madison (1976-1977); Michigan State University (1977-1980); and the

University of Washington, Seattle (1980-2006), wherein Hu was

appointed Professor Emeritus in 2006.[1] She has earned many grants,

awards, and honors throughout her artistic career, has had sixteen solo

exhibitions and many group exhibitions, and her work can be found in

many notable institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art,

the Museum of Art & Design, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and

the Art Institute of Chicago.[2] She currently lives and works in Seattle,

Washington.

[1] Hu, Mary Lee, and Stefano Catalani. Knitted, Knotted, Twisted, &

Twined: The Jewelry of Mary Lee Hu. (Bellevue, WA: Bellevue Art

Museum, 2012), 118.

[2] Ibid.