Marjorie Kreilick was born in 1925 in Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. She earned degrees in sculpture from Ohio State University and from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, known as the ‘Cradle of American Modernism,’ when Eero Saarinen was its director. In 1953, she joined the art department at UW–Madison. In 1956, she took a year-long sabbatical to Rome for in-depth study and hands-on training in the ancient art of mosaic, and to cast bronze and metal sculptures. She worked with master mosaicist, Giulio Giovanetti, and began a long collaboration with the Meloni brothers, who assisted with fabricating many of her architectural works. She returned to Italy frequently and learned to speak fluent Italian. She taught in the UW–Madison Department of Art for 38 years, where her color theory courses were renowned for their rigor and science-based approach. She undertook years of material and formulary color research and created an artificial blue ‘marble’ for her bespoke mosaic works. Her courses were essential to the UW Art and Graphic Design programs and were requirements for environment, textiles, and design majors. She retired in 1991 as a distinguished professor emerita. She produced numerous sculptures, paintings, and fine art mosaic panels for exhibition and private commission, and her artworks are held in private collections, at the Chazen Museum of Art, the Racine Art Museum and the Museum of Wisconsin Art.

In her last years, she established the Marjorie Kreilick Legacy Foundation Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting the long-term reputation and documentation of Ms. Kreilick’s artworks and professional career and helping to preserve her public artworks for continued public viewing.