Suzie Zuzek for Lilly Pulitzer at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum

Entry wall text.

On a holiday week-end last month, DH and I went to New York City to visit family and take in Suzie Zuzek: The Prints That Made The Fashion Brand at the Cooper-Hewitt museum, on view through January 2, 2022.  The first major museum exhibit of her work, this show celebrates the colorful, appealing textile prints created by artist Suzie Zuzek (1920 - 2011) for Key West Hand-Prints and utilized by fashion entrepreneur Lilly Pulitzer.  

Ms. Zuzek was a top student in her class at the Pratt Institute; marriage brought her to Florida.  Her work for Key West established her style of animated line drawings of closely observed elements of the natural world, combined with bold colors.  The silhouettes of Lilly Pulitzer's garments were fairly simple, such as the shift dress below; the print made it special and eye-catching. The dress was designed by Pulitzer in the late 1960's, the fabric, Mum-A-Lily, by Zuzek.

Shift dress, Lilly Pulitzer, ca. 1969. Print by Zuzek.

There were relatively few garments in the exhibit; the focus was on the watercolor/gouache drawings from which silk-screens were made in order to hand-print the fabrics.  Through the efforts of researcher Becky Smith and others the original drawings were retrieved from storage and are now archived and  properly cherished.  Several of the drawings are gifts to the museum, and exhibit curator Susan Brown has mounted an excellent, informative exhibit.

Ensemble, Lilly Pulitzer, 1969.  Ponchita's Petunias print, Suzie Zuzek.

 

One of Zuzek's designs became the logo of Key West Hand-Prints -  Suzie's Suns, below, now in the collection of the Cooper-Hewitt.

 

Suzie's Suns, 1965.

Suzie's Suns, detail.

 

After Pulitzer and Zuzek met, more or less serendipitously, all of the print fabrics used by Pulitzer were Zuzek designs.  The printed garments were immensely popular and Pulitzer expanded into menswear and items for children.  Notably, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and former New York City Mayor John Lindsay sported Pulitzer attire.  The wall below, collaged with Zuzek designs, features photos of Onassis, Lindsay, and others, wearing their Lilly's.

 

Wall of Zuzek designs, photos of Pulitzer-attired celebs.

Lilly's Llamas, 1967.

Lilly's Llamas, detail with "Lilly" worked into the llama fur.

So closely intertwined were Zuzek designs with Lilly's company, that Zuzek began incorporating the name Lilly into some of her drawings, as in the llama above.

 

Some of the archived designs have been revived, in a limited way, and the recreation of the silkscreens, on a printing table, is shown below. There was also a looping video showing the steps involved in making a silkscreen fabric.  The inclusion of process, not just the end products, elevates this show above other similar exhibits.

Video of silkscreen process and recreated silkscreen on printing table.

Color separation silkscreens.

Zuzek, who later worked in many media and opened an art gallery, was inspired by just about everything. Her designs include imagery one would expect for a tropical seaside locale such as Key West, but Zuzek celebrated foliage, vegetables and especially animals, which were closely observed and, while anthropomorphized, accurately proportioned and detailed in her free pen-and-ink linework.

The Reef, 1979.

 

Tropical Harvest, 1973.

 

Sweet Corn, 1972.

Cole Slaw, 1972.

 

Our special treat was a chance encounter with one of Zuzek's daughters, Kathy dePoo (dePoo was Zuzek's married name).  She graciously chatted with us for a while, describing life with an engaged, endlessly creative parent always working on a project, and enlisting her children to assist with activities such as organizing and storing bottles and sea glass retrieved from the beach.  I apologize the poor quality of the image, which does neither subject justice.

DH with Zuzek's daughter, Kathy dePoo, visiting from Florida.

Beach Bottles, 1964.

The Pulitzer/Key West/Zuzek collaboration continued until 1985 when Pulitzer  sold her company.   Key West Hand-Prints ceased production in 2007.  I missed out - in the 1990's we took family vacations to the Keys, but I didn't realize I was near a fabric mecca.  Happily, an "internet friend" de-accessioned one of her Zuzek dish towels and kindly gave it to me. 

 

Key Bouquet, Zuzek dish towel.

Key Bouquet, detail.

 

I sent this nice person the exhibition catalog, published by Rizzoli and one of the best contemporary art books I've yet seen.  Titled Suzie Zuzek for Lilly Pulitzer: The Art Behind an Iconic American Fashion Brand 1962-1985, the ISBN is  978-0-8478-6764-6.  Printed in Italy, the color reproductions are spot on and many of the designs are reproduced at scale (no impossibly tiny images here.)

Finally this exceptional artist is receiving acclaim.  Now, we need some of those designs to be re-issued!

Quilters' Connection show at the Watertown Library

My quilt guild is based in Watertown, Massachusetts, and as part of an outreach activity, in part supported by a small cultural grant from the town, we mounted an exhibit of quilts in the gallery space of the Watertown Public Library.  The works are on display until November 30, and include student work from some the workshops taught by guild members as part of the grant programming. There is a lot of fiber art talent out there!

Berry Blue, Karen Hohler.

 

The show's installers were guild members Karen Hohler and Athila Jarrah and a big "thank you" to them and to everyone who worked on this project.  The quilts incorporated all sorts of techniques, including piecing, applique, machine quilting, hand quilting, embroidery and sashiko stitching.   Some quilts also highlighted surface design methods such as block printing, fabric painting and fabric marbling.

Physalis Alkekengi [lantern plant], Esta Lichtenstein.

The quilt above featured blocks Esta made with block printing. I love the driftwood hanging rod of the quilt below, by Tricia Deck.

Ladies Beach, Nantucket, Tricia Deck.

Amish Diamond (detail), RoseMary Koch.

All kinds of quilting traditions were on display, such as the Amish style of quilt, above, and it seems no quilt show can lack a quilt made with delightful Kaffe Fassett fabrics, as below.

Charming Chevrons, Missy Shay.

 

Amazing thread-painting - literally drawing on the surface of the fabric not with charcoal or pastel but thread - is shown in the portrait of two cats by Betsy Habich. 

Fredlet and Tommy, Betsy Habich.

Fredlet and Tommy, detail.

While Betsy did her stitching with a sewing machine, hand work, inspired by Japanese and Indian traditions, delights as well.  The two quilts below showcase sashiko stitchery, a centuries-old style of embroidery from Japan.

Sashiko and Koi, Diana Bailey.

On a Single Night, Carol Anne Grotrian.

 

Carol Anne's quilt, with gingko leaves both dyed and stitched, referenced plant lore that gingko trees "release" their leaves all at once.  There's a bit more to it than that simple statement, but there's no question that fan-shaped gingko leaves are particularly appealing and have inspired many artists.  Tricia Deck featured the leaves in her quilt too, below, in which closely-stitched areas alternate with un-stitched sections slightly lifted from the background fabric, creating a three-dimensional effect.

 

The Gingko Leaf Beauty, detail, Tricia Deck.

 

Since my quilts rarely leave their storage bins, I leapt at the chance to contribute to the show.  One of the best benefits of belonging to our guild, and to most guilds, is the opportunity to take workshops with some very talented fiber artists.  The quilt below showcased squares of hand-painted which I completed in a Mickey Lawler workshop.

 

 

On top - my quilt, Bright Skies.

 

Below, my quilt, Marble Triangles (bottom) share a rack with two Kantha-style wall quilts by Carol Anne Grotrian.  (The right quilt is Six Blind Men and the Elephant, while the quilt on the left is Fables for Our Times: Six Blind Men.) 

 

The fabric for the colorful triangles in my quilt was made in a fabric marbling workshop led by Elin Noble.

 

An eye-catching display.

It's very gratifying to see one's work in public and to be part of the community of quilters, which extends over time and space.  Quilting is gaining ever more recognition in fine art venues.  

 

I didn't have the patience to include all the quilts on display in my post - there are many more to see and enjoy.

Another look at the exhibit.

 

Above it all - American weathervanes

Witch Riding Crescent Moon, W. H. Mullins, c. 1891, Salem, Ohio.

 

Itching to travel now, as we are vaccinated, we took the train to New York City and visited a great exhibit of American weathervanes at the American Folk Art Museum.  Weathervanes combine symbolism, pleasing aesthetics and function, by letting us know, literally, which way the wind is blowing.  The alternate name, weathercock, comes from the tradition, established as early as the 8th century, of topping churches with a rooster, in remembrance of Peter's denial of Christ before the cock crowed at dawn. The tradition crossed the Atlantic with European settlers.  Secular symbols were quickly added to the catalog of weathervanes in 18th century America, including farm animals and wild fauna, as well as mythological and patriotic figures.

The Portland Rooster, maker unknown, 1788.

 

Image of the Portland Rooster atop a bank building in Portland, Maine.

Remarkably, the gilded wooden weather vane above, the Portland Rooster, crowned a bank building in Portland until 1983; it is now in a private collection, as are many of the items in this exhibit.  Weathervanes can be highly valued objects, with some fetching sky-high prices at auction.

Gallery overview.

Goddess of Liberty, 186801870, Cushing and White Co.

Advertising Broadside, c. 1865, A. L. Jewell, Waltham, Massachusetts.

 

In the 19th century, several manufacturers of hardware expanded their offerings to make weathervanes, commissioning carved wood sculptures from which metal molds were made. Using these molds, sheets of copper were hammered into component shapes, which were then soldered together.  Final details and surface decoration, such as gold leaf, finished some products.  The manufacturer A. L. Jewell, whose advertisement is shown above, offered eighty designs.

 

Selection of farm animal themed weathervanes.

Sometimes weathervanes commemorated specific events, people or even famous horses.  The sculpture below celebrates St. Julien, a champion trotter. 

 

St. Julien with Sulky and Driver, c. 1881, J. W. Fiske Iron Works.

 

The wood carvings from which the molds were made are beautiful examples of early American sculpture.  When viewed from the front, the carvings, and their associated weathervanes, give an almost deceptive suggestion of the volume of the object.  Only when seen laterally do we realize how these often immense objects remain lightweight enough to to spin in the breeze.  These three-dimensional figures are called "swelled" or swell-bodied weathervanes.

Large Deer, c. 1856-57, J. Howard and Co.

Large Deer, lateral view.

A special treat is viewing some of the original wood sculptures from which metal molds were created to produce the finished weathervanes, as in the squirrel example below. The weathervane was produced by Cushing and White, c. 1870.  Once the wood pattern was carved, a mold was created by the sand-casting method.  In the image below, the wooden carving by Harry Leach is on the right and the finished weathervane, made of hammered and soldered copper, by Cushing and White, is on the left.

 

Squirrel eating nut, c. 1870.

Molds for an Eagle's Head and Talons, Kenneth Lynch and Sons, after 1927.

 

Airplanes, automobiles and fire trucks made their way into weathervane imagery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,  but by the end of the 1920's the heyday of the weathervane was over.  Fortunately, many survived and many more were documented by photographers such as Leslie Jones, a press photographer who captured more than 250 Boston-area weathervanes on film and left his negatives to the Boston Public Library. A photo collage of those images is seen below, behind the airplane weathervane.

Horse-Drawn Hook & Ladder, W. A. Snow Iron Works, 1904.

The Bleriot XI Monoplane, maker unknown, c. 1909-14.

I began writing this post shortly before Halloween, so I'll bookend with suitably seasonal imagery. To learn more there's a fantastic book accompanying the exhibit, by guest curator and folk art guru Robert Shaw.  In addition to many illustrations of exhibit items, one chapter discusses the weathervane making process, with illustrations.  In addition, Jennifer L. Mass, PhD, explains her research on historical finishes. The book is American Weathervanes The Art of the Winds, ISBN 9-780-8478-6390-7
 

The Warren Dragon, c. 1891.