Barbara Jane Gesshel

Barbara Jane Gesshel

November 7, 1942 – January 20, 2025

My mom lived fully, boldly, and without apology. She was driven, creative, determined, and deeply devoted—to her art, her students, her family, and the communities she served. She did nothing halfway. Everything in her life was lived full-speed-ahead.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, she showed artistic promise early, studying at Fleisher Art Memorial, Girls’ High, and the University of the Arts. At a time when women were often expected to choose practicality over passion, she refused to limit herself. She earned degrees in Fine Art and Art Education so she could support herself while continuing to develop her work—determined to become the best artist she could be. She later completed graduate studies at the Tyler School of Art, a path she would one day be deeply proud to see her granddaughter follow—a continuation of her creative legacy across generations.

After teaching art briefly in Philadelphia, she followed her curiosity and courage across the world, traveling alone to Norway to study and immerse herself in art. She learned the language, studied at the University of Oslo, trained with a master printmaker, and created a one-woman pop-art exhibition—the first of its kind in Norway. During that time, she also worked cataloging the artwork of Edvard Munch in preparation for what would become the Munch Museum.

When she returned home, she resumed teaching art in Philadelphia, where she went on to shape the lives of countless students. At Shaw Junior High, she created the school’s first art major for eighth graders, preparing students for acceptance into the Art Magnet Program at Overbrook High School. Later, at Kensington High School, she encouraged young women navigating significant life challenges, always insisting they see their own worth, strength, and potential.

Her influence extended far beyond the classroom. She taught at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, exhibited her work widely, and became deeply involved in the Anti-Graffiti Network and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, contributing to public art initiatives that transformed neighborhoods and communities. As a woman artist and educator working in the 1960s and beyond, she helped open doors for future generations—quietly but powerfully creating space for women’s voices and visions to be seen and valued.

At home, she was a mother who immersed her children in culture, art, music, ideas, and people. Galleries, museums, studios, and openings were part of everyday life—but more than that, she taught us to see past surface differences of race, class, gender, or status. Everyone was welcome. Everyone deserved dignity, opportunity, and love. Those who entered our lives often became family.

Her art evolved over time, reflecting her inner world and her relationship with life itself. Early work focused on people, family, and humanity through printmaking and woodcuts. Later, her paintings turned toward nature—trees, mountains, water, landscapes—and eventually expanded into skies and cloudscapes, capturing movement, light, and impermanence. Art was her way of honoring her deep connection to the natural world.

In her final moments, she was surrounded by her entire family, held in love. After her passing, we honored her the way she lived—through art. Her children came together to create a final exhibition celebrating her life’s work, sharing her full artistic legacy with the people who loved her most. It was not a quiet farewell. It was bold, creative, and full of life—exactly as she was.

My mom never lived small. She was passionate, determined, brilliant, generous, accepting, and larger than life. Her legacy continues through her art, her kids, grandkids, students, and every life she touched. The extraordinary life my mom lived was a work of art as . And although that masterpiece is now complete, her love, light, and creative spirit live on—not only through her children and grandchildren, but in every brilliant sunset, drifting cloud, soft forest breeze, and throughout the natural world she was so deeply connected to and inspired by.