Fillette C. Many (1891-1971)

Arts Educator and Style Consultant

The public and institutional infrastructure that evolved in the early 1920s to advocate for the value of art as a public good consisted of passionate individuals like Fillette C. Many, known primarily as the longtime Art Supervisor for the Kalamazoo Public Schools, but who also authored a book on design and decoration in 1953, and wrote a guest column for the Kalamazoo Gazette.

The woman with the peculiar name was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1891. She earned bachelors and masters degrees from the Pratt Institute and the New York School of Fine and Applied Art before settling in Kalamazoo. She joined the Kalamazoo Public Schools faculty in 1928, retiring there in 1947. In addition to her role in overseeing the growth of student achievement in the arts, Many was a member of the Ladies’ Library Association and a passionate gardener.

Stylist and Interior Decorator

Mixing notions of psychology and color dynamics, Many developed concepts about the role of aesthetics in everyday life, namely how to develop harmony and express “beauty” through interior decoration, personal style and gardening. She articulated these concepts in a 1953 book, Personality and Color: in dress, in the home and in the garden. She was also a much sought after consultant, advising both men and women how to dress, decorate and best organize their garden beds.

“As she worked with both men and women, Miss Many came to feel that too many people in their dress, homes, and gardens were unaware of their opportunities to add to their respective societies. She also found people hesitant in their approach to beauty attainment, but genuinely desirous of help.”

–from the book jacket

Many’s how-to advice on sartorial matters could also be found in her Kalamazoo Gazette guest column, where she wrote about how “effective makeup supports, enhances one’s native color”. After retirement, Many became a much in-demand public speaker, traveling to other southwest Michigan cities, whether on the topic of fashion tips or when speaking to local garden clubs about possible color combinations of summer perennials. A longtime supporter of the Kalamazoo Institute for Arts, in 1964 Many donated some of her own artistic acquisitions to their collection. 

Written by Ryan Gage, Kalamazoo Public Library staff, July 2024