Discipline: Literature

Madeleine Kunin

Discipline: Literature
Region: Shelburne, VT
MacDowell Fellowships: 1992

Madeleine Kunin is an American diplomat, author, and politician who was born in Zurich, Switzerland. She served as the first and only female, Jewish governor of Vermont as a member of the Democratic party and as the United States Ambassador to Switzerland. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism, and a master’s degree in English from the University of Vermont. Prior to her political career, Kunin worked as a journalist for The Burlington Free Press and as a part-time college professor. She has received more than 20 honorary degrees, as well as the International Center in New York’s Award of Excellence and the Foreign Language Advocacy Award from the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Studios

Barnard

Madeleine Kunin worked in the Barnard studio.

Originally built near MacDowell's Union Street entrance, the Barnard Studio — which was funded by Barnard College music students — was re-located to its current site in 1910. When the small structure was moved, its size was doubled with the addition of a second room. This remodeling, financed by Mrs. Thomas E. Emery of Cincinnati…

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