[1] Avery graduated in 1891 from Wellesley College, majoring in Greek.
[1] Avery offered one of the earliest classes in museum studies at the Farnsworth Art Museum[4] and by 1915 she introduced the first art history classes at Wellesley.
[2] She became the chair of the Wellesley art department in 1929, succeeding Alice Van Vechten Brown.
[1][3] After retiring she dedicated her energies to volunteering for the American Council of Learned Societies.
[1] In 1943, the council formed the Committee on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas and they worked on indexing the most important artworks in Nazi-occupied countries.