Margo was the most important professor and mentor that I had a Skidmore. She was a friend. She taught me about the varied conceptual aspects of crafts. More importantly she taught me about the ethics of work, of critique, of kindness, of community built around art. She was so tough. Margo never let me get away with the anything. For this, I am the most grateful. There have been few people in my life who I wanted to impress more than Margo. And this was about being just. Being empathetic. Being serious about the power of aesthetics. Margo is at least 50% of my college education. I miss her all the time. Sending love to those who also loved her.

I suppose I can’t claim to have been a close friend of Margo’s. I think she and I shared company only a half-dozen times. Yet I always thought of her in a special way. We met for the first time at Cranbrook. I couldn’t tell you when that was, but it was during the time that she was considering writing about crafts, and I—already active in that field—encouraged her. Probably the next time we met was after she and John relocated to Saratoga Springs. There was a second visit there, with my younger daughter in tow, when I met J and Melissa. And one time she and John drove down for a picnic at my weekend house in the Hudson Valley. We also were both on a program at Haystack, the crafts venue in Maine. And maybe that’s all? But we kept in touch, off and on, sharing the interest in writing about crafts and also a network of mutual friends, such as the Japanese basketry artist Hisako Sekijima. I remember Margo’s blend of intellect and creativity, how interested she was in devising artworks from history or other collectible facts. I also remember her delightful invention of painting her dining room ceiling tiles so that the ceiling resembled a quilt. I admired Margo for her ability to find so much of the world of interest, and to make the most of it. It’s sad to think that she’s gone. Janet Koplos, NYC

The world is a better place because of Margo's immense talent and care. Marrying her insight into all things human (and inhuman) and her happy, quirky intellect to create the worlds she did now leaves lasting gifts for us all. Yay for Margo. Yay for us, who were fortunate to know her. She turned any art show into an awakening of the soul, that wee corner we didn't existed inside us--well, her wit got us to see. She turned one of my art events into a haunt of askew facts--some of them true, some of them not, and people kept talking about their experiences long after the show event. She got us thinking, and she got us talking. She still does.

Best wishes to all Margo's loved ones.

Be well,

Pernille AEgidius Dake

I met Margo when she was a lecturer at the Chicago Art Institute, and she invited me to give a talk to her students. I enjoyed giving the talk and then we drove bravely through a snowstorm over to where she lived in Michigan, where we met John for a Thai dinner. I was struck by her warmth and generosity and her art, which I found very advanced and brave and interesting. I saw that she was a serious intellectual and I enjoyed being around her for that reason. We were in some ways on parallel paths, but different directions, but this didn’t stop us from appreciating what the other one was doing. Her interesting collaborations with other art forms always impressed me. I cherish her memory and am so pleased to also know John. More recently, Margo, John and our mutual Jin Sook So stayed at my house for an event at browngrotta gallery in Wilton, Connecticut and we had shimmering conversation around my dining room table. She was very good with words and our conversations were always memorable. I’ll miss her a lot. With warmest wishes, Helena Hernmarck

Hello J, 

 I recently re-read the wonderful essay that your mom wrote for my  MICA retrospective catalog and realized again of the sincerity and warmth with which she infused  her writing but also with great  scholarship and insight.  I am so privileged to have had her contribute  an essay so meaningful to me.  Also it was so strange that I met her at the Art Institute of Chicago when I was a visiting artist there invited by Joan and Ann and she was a student!  And of course she stood out for many reasons beyond the other grads especially in her ability of articulate her thoughts about her work.  I am sorry for this late report that I  worried that I will not be able to make it to the memorial because of several medical issues...  nothing very serious but travel that distance is  difficult for me.  I will be thinking about all of you and especially my friend John.  

Thanks so much for your note and take care,

Warren Seelig

Margo was definitely one in a million.  We met during her Chicago/Stevensville days before I married into the family.  Margo was welcoming to a fault. She was fun and funny, and had more talents up her sleeve than I could count.  She was a fabulous cook and baker, a devoted gardener, in love with the natural world and of course wildly creative.  And, beyond all that, Margo was fiercely serious about her friendships, her family and her work.  Over the years I struggled to imagine where her mind was going as she described a new or ongoing project to me but when she began her “Dead At” research I was all in.  Margo’s culmination projects each year were nothing short of amazing.  Whereas I don’t have a creative bone in my body and will never be able to knit a piece of artwork into socks or produce a music and dance performance, I want to carry on her concept. As a retired librarian, my first project will focus on a wonderful storyteller and poet and sadly on the banning of said literature from our schools and libraries.  I will miss Margo terribly but I will be forever grateful for her inspiration and will keep her close to my heart as I carry on this small part of her in the years to come. Martha Peterson

Very sad to learn of Margo's passing. I admired her as a terrific colleague in Skidmore's art department where she was responsible for textile arts, and was a respected member of our intellectual community.. But she also ranged far and wide across the artistic spectrum, doing brilliant installations, writing poetry and just being an inspiring presence. Her "Dead at" series was memorably innovative. She could always make me think differently and better by her work and that's the mark of a very special mind.   John Anzalone .

Margo was an incredible teacher who opened up whole worlds for me when I was a young student. She was a force, and I admired her deeply. Condolences to her family and loved ones. ❤️

Anna Sutton

I knew Margo in her Baltimore years; our families would get together for NYE and other rare occasions. I probably saw her for the last time when I was in my late teens but I do distinctly remember thinking that I was in the presence of someone utterly unique. Was it her enigmatic smile à la Mona Lisa? Or the fact that I had only ever seen people collect stamps and coins and then Margo…what? Vintage beaded purses? As a 15-year-old I undoubtedly thought: Wait, we’re allowed to do that? Yes, she was unique. An article I read recently defined charisma as equal doses of competence and warmth. Voilà Margo. Sending warm hugs to BJ, Nick and John and the grandkids.

What a beautiful woman Margo Mensing was! I will always remember how I thrilled at her sparkling mind and joyous, delighted spirit. I cherish her influence in my life. Lisa Norton