Joan Mondale

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Joan Mondale was given a grand platform when her husband was elected Jimmy Carter’s vice president in 1976. And she used it.

The avid arts advocate lobbied Congress and the states for more spending on arts programs, and she traveled frequently to museums, theaters and artists’ studios on the administration’s behalf. She was so passionate that she earned the nickname “Joan of Art” and, in the process of pushing her cause, transformed the role of the second lady.

As Carter’s No. 2, Walter Mondale was seen as a trusted adviser and credited with making the office of the vice president more relevant. It was natural that his wife would do the same for her role. Vice presidential aide Al Eisele once said of his boss: “It was important to him that Joan not just be the vice president’s wife, but his partner.”

Joan Mondale, herself an avid potter, died Monday afternoon with her husband, sons Ted and William, and other family members by her side, the family said in a statement. She was 83.

“Joan was greatly loved by many. We will miss her dearly,” the former vice president said in a written statement.

The family had announced Sunday that she had gone into hospice care, but declined to discuss her illness.