Brown, Marion (1947 - )

Marion Brown assisting a student with a design

A member of the Environment, Textiles and Design Department for ten years, Marion Brown first learned to sew from her mother and grandmother, whom she counts as early artistic influences on her along with her father. She earned all three of her degrees in Design from the University of California, Los Angeles--a BA in 1968, an MA in 1972, and an MFA in 1975. Between degrees she also spent one year as a substitute teacher at the secondary school level and another year as a social worker in Los Angeles.

In 1972, she came to UW as a lecturer and instructor, and was promoted to assistant professor in 1975. While at UW, the courses she taught included "Apparel Design: Draping," "Two Dimensional Design," and "Special Problems in Clothing." Brown's service to the university included her tenure as coordinator of the Apparel and Textile Design junior year at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, as well as her chairing of or membership on numerous university and school committees relating to minority enrollment. Due to Brown's efforts, the School received a $15,000 grant that allowed it to establish a minorities office. In 1982, she accepted a joint position with the Vice Chancellor’s Office and the University of Wisconsin Foundation, where she began working on the Chancellor’s Scholarship program. She continues to raise funds for the University as a Vice President of the University of Wisconsin Foundation.