With titles such as “The Iron Family,” “A Life Well Lived,” and “Our Island,” Ms. Kiermaier’s constructions, paintings and prints are personal, mysterious, and timeless. Crafted with great skill, each piece demonstrates a refusal to be limited by material, method, or subject. She has shown her work throughout the USA, including: Rhode Island School of Design, Yale University, National Academy of Fine Arts, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and the Portland Museum. She has received many awards, including a fellowship from the New England Foundation on the Arts/National Endowment for the Arts. She was raised in Virginia, lived in Connecticut, and now calls Tenants Harbor, Maine and Rockland, Maine home. More of her work can be seen at https://constancekiermaier.com/.
Constance continues to work and teach at 97 years of age. Her current show, “CONTINUUM: Old and New Work,” is on exhibit at Bartlett Woods Retirement Community, where she currently lives, in Rockland, Maine.
She recently took the time to share how her time at Yale influenced her life and career.
Why Yale? 
When I was at boarding school, my art teacher recommended Yale Art School to me. I did not realize that it was possible to go to Yale; it was the best art school in the country at that time. I applied and got in! My parents were supportive of me. Also, all the soldiers from WWII were back home, and some used the GI Bill to go to Yale. But back in 1945, when I started at Yale, women could only get a BFA, which required five years of study in the Art School; we could not earn a Master’s degree even with that extra year of study.
What is your most enduring memory of your time at Yale?
I loved being in the Art School. I also loved that it was part of a university where I could attend all the open lectures and experience the larger Yale community. I was exposed to all levels of intellectual things, and I really took advantage of that. I heard T.S. Eliot, for example; it was a wonderful experience.
What is the biggest lesson you learned during your time at Yale and how does that shape who you are today?
I learned that women are just as smart as men. My time at Yale made me believe in women and what we can do in the arts and beyond. It exposed me to university life and all that it could provide. The whole experience made me into a confident artist and a productive woman. Also, I met my husband, who was attending law school at Yale, and we went on to have four children and a very rich life together.
How did your time at Yale shape your identity?
It made me believe in myself. It made me realize that I could live a life and be part of things where most women were rejected. I got involved in the Architecture School and the Drama School. I could take medical illustration classes if I wanted, and I loved that. I could make costumes and create sets. It was all available to me.
What does belonging mean to you and how did you find a sense of belonging at Yale and after?
For me, belonging meant belonging to the world of the arts. Being part of the Art School at Yale provided me with a strong sense of being a legitimate artist. It was a small, very close-knit group whose artwork I liked. All my closest friends at Yale were in the arts. They were all wonderfully funny, and we have remained friends throughout our lives.
How have you stayed engaged with the Yale community since graduating?
I have stayed engaged through my friends, and through the alumni magazine. I was also a member of the Art School Alumni Board in the 1980s.
What were your favorite spaces at Yale or in New Haven? Why?
The Art Picture Morgue was one of my favorite places. It had an enclosed garden space; I could sit outside in the garden or be inside and look out onto the garden. The Art Picture Morgue contained thousands of files of pictures and articles on everything imaginable. I could take out any material from the Art Picture Morgue, just like a library. It really was thrilling. Also, when I was at Yale, Broadway theater productions opened first in New Haven, and we could go to all the plays before they hit New York City.
What aspects of Yale do you feel like you talk about most often to people who didn’t go to school here? Why?
I find myself talking most about my relationships with the art students, especially the women. My friends were fascinating, and they did not necessarily live on campus. I met some very offbeat people; it was an unusual way to spend five years of college life. I also felt very privileged to be able to access all the open lectures given at Yale. There were so many great minds at Yale and we were inspired by them during the open lectures.
