Eva Hesse (January 11th, 1936 to May 29th, 1970) was a German-born American sculptor who is recognized for her pioneering work with non-traditional materials including latex, fiberglass, and plastics. Born a Jew in Nazi Germany, Hesse's family fled to the United States where Eva studied art at the School of Industrial Art, the Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and lastly, the Yale School of Art…
Read moreDorothy "Dot" Parker was the quintessential 1920's flapper. She was also a brilliant writer, civil rights advocate and social critic. She was a founding member of the famous Algonquin Round Table at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City that included other contemporary celebrities such as Edna Ferber, Robert Benchley and Harpo Marx. Parker was the drama critic for Vanity Fair and…
Read moreAny visitor to the Art, Music and Recreation Department at the Central Library has walked by the colorful artwork of Ruth Grotenrath. The paintings were donated by her husband Schomer Lichtner, whose work also graces the entrance hallway. Ruth Grotenrath was born in Milwaukee in 1912 and was interested in being an artist as early as her days at Riverside High School. She received…
Read moreIn 1966, Roberta (Bobbi) Gibb did what no woman had ever done before: She ran the Boston Marathon, which men had been running every year since 1897. It was the first race she'd ever run, and she ran it again 1967 and 1968, winning both times, although women were not allowed to enter the race officially until 1972. Gibb received no official recognition for her…
Read moreCindy Sherman (January 19th, 1954) is a contemporary American photographer known for her pioneering work in conceptual portraiture. A graduate of State University of New York at Buffalo, Sherman quickly turned from painting to photography so she could focus more on ideas rather than simply capture or copy a likeness. Sherman uses photography as a means to explore identity, and thus takes on…
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