There she began studies with James Earle Fraser at the Art Students League of New York in 1912, choosing to pursue her career as a sculptor.

[5] She became an associate member of the National Academy of Design in 1930; her diploma portrait in the collection is by Jerome Myers.

[6] Other organizations to which she belonged include the National Sculpture Society, the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors, the Allied Artists of America, the American Artists Professional League, the Society of Medalists, and the Southern States Art League.

MacLeary's most popular works were statues of women and children, many designed to be displayed in gardens; so successful were they that she crafted small versions to be sold in stores.

[8] The San Antonio Museum of Art is home to two of her works, Blessed Damozel and Fountain Figure of a Water Nymph.