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{{Short description|American designer (1924–2024)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox artist
|name=Betty Cooke
| name = Betty Cooke
|birth_name=Catherine Elizabeth Cooke
| image = Betty Cooke 2004 20180714131310-2.jpg
|birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1924|05|05}}
| alt =
|birth_place=[[Baltimore, Maryland]], [[United States|U.S.A.]]
|death_date =
| caption = Cooke in 2004
| birth_name = Catherine Elizabeth Cooke
|death_place=
| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|05|05}}
|parents=Catherine and Francis Cooke
| birth_place = [[Baltimore, Maryland]], U.S.
|spouse=William C. Steinmetz
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|08|13|1924|05|05}}
|children=
| death_place =
|occupation=[[Designer]], [[Metalworker]] [[Jewelry Designer]]
| alma_mater = {{ubl|[[Maryland Institute College of Art|Maryland Institute]]|[[Johns Hopkins University]]}}
|known_for=[[The Store Ltd., Village of Cross Keys, MD]]; [[Cooke and Steinmetz]]
| notable_works =
|nationality=[[Americans|American]]
| movement = [[American Modernist]]
| spouse = {{marriage|William O. Steinmetz|1955|2016|end=died}}
| known_for = [[Jewelry design]], [[metalwork]]
}}
}}


{{external media | width = 225px | align = right | headerimage= | audio1 = [http://bmoreart.com/2015/09/conversations-podcast-1-betty-cooke.html “Conversations Podcast 1: Betty Cooke”], Cara Ober, BMoreArt }}
{{external media | width = 225px | float = right | headerimage= | audio1 = [http://bmoreart.com/2015/09/conversations-podcast-1-betty-cooke.html "Conversations Podcast 1: Betty Cooke"], Cara Ober, BMoreArt }}


'''Betty Cooke''', (May 5, 1924-) is an [[United States|American]] designer principally known for her jewelry.<ref name=OralHistory>{{cite web
'''Catherine Elizabeth Cooke''' (May 5, 1924 – August 13, 2024) was an American designer principally known for her jewelry.<ref name="Meyerhoff">{{cite book|last1=Cooke|first1=Betty|title=Design, Jewelry, Betty Cooke : June 2–25 1995|date=June 2–25, 1995|publisher=Maryland Institute College of Art; Meyerhoff Gallery|location=Baltimore, MD}}</ref><ref name="OralHistory">{{cite web
|title=Oral history interview with Betty Cooke, 2004 July 1-2
|title=Oral history interview with Betty Cooke, 2004 July 1–2
|url=http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-betty-cooke-11731
|url=http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-betty-cooke-11731
|website=Archives of American Art
|website=Archives of American Art
|publisher=Smithsonian Archives of American Art
|publisher=Smithsonian Archives of American Art
|accessdate=28 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Sugarman">{{cite news
|access-date=15 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|last1=Sugarman|first1=Joe
|last1=Sugarman|first1=Joe
|title=Town Jewel Betty Cooke’s The Store Ltd just turned 50 years old. And at 90, she’s not slowing down
|title=Town Jewel Betty Cooke's The Store Ltd just turned 50 years old. And at 90, she's not slowing down
|url=http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2015/4/15/betty-cooke-celebrates-50-years-at-cross-keys
|url=http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2015/4/15/betty-cooke-celebrates-50-years-at-cross-keys
|accessdate=8 March 2016
|access-date=8 March 2016
|work=Baltimore Magazine
|work=Baltimore Magazine
|date=2015}}</ref><ref name="Kelly">{{cite news
|date=2015}}</ref><ref name="Kelly">{{cite news
Line 31: Line 34:
|title=Designers make lifelong impact on Baltimore's arts scene
|title=Designers make lifelong impact on Baltimore's arts scene
|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-kelly-column-keys-20150206-column.html
|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-kelly-column-keys-20150206-column.html
|accessdate=8 March 2016
|access-date=8 March 2016
|work=The Baltimore Sun
|work=The Baltimore Sun
|date=February 6, 2015}}</ref><ref name="SMP">{{cite web
|date=February 6, 2015}}</ref><ref name="SMP">{{cite web
Line 37: Line 40:
|url=http://www.smpub.com/bc/bc.html
|url=http://www.smpub.com/bc/bc.html
|website=Silver Salon Forums|publisher=SM Publications
|website=Silver Salon Forums|publisher=SM Publications
|date=September 2, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Kirkham">{{cite book|last1=Kirkham|first1=Pat|title=Women designers in the USA, 1900-2000 : diversity and difference : Jacqueline M. Atkins ... [et al.]|date=2000|publisher=Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts|location=New York|isbn=9780300093315|page=207|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0nxzw0wdIREC&pg=PA207|accessdate=8 March 2016}}</ref> Her pieces have been shown nationally and internationally and are included in a number of museum collections, including the [[Museum of Modern Art]] (MOMA) in New York.
|date=September 2, 2006}}</ref><ref name="Kirkham">{{cite book|last1=Kirkham|first1=Pat|title=Women designers in the USA, 1900–2000 : diversity and difference : Jacqueline M. Atkins ... [et al.]|date=2000|publisher=Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts|location=New York|isbn=9780300093315|page=207|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0nxzw0wdIREC&pg=PA207|access-date=8 March 2016}}</ref> She has been called "an icon within the tradition of modernist jewelry"<ref name="Schon">{{cite journal|last1=Schon|first1=Marbeth|title=An interview with Betty Cooke|journal=Modern Silver|date=June 13, 2001|url=http://www.modernsilver.com/BETTYCOOKE.htm|access-date=March 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602070518/http://www.modernsilver.com/BETTYCOOKE.htm|archive-date=June 2, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and "a seminal figure in American Modernist studio jewelry".<ref name="Goya">{{cite web|title=Betty Cooke Biography – Short|url=http://goyacontemporary.com/news/betty-cooke-biography-short|website=Goya Contemporary|access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref> Her pieces have been shown nationally and internationally and are included in a number of museum collections, including the [[Museum of Modern Art]] (MOMA) in New York. She is regarded as an important role model for other artists and craftspeople.<ref name="Wolf">{{cite journal|last1=Wolf|first1=Toni Lesser|title=Betty Cooke: Total Design in Jewelry|journal=Metalsmith Magazine|date=1989|volume=Spring|url=https://www.ganoksin.com/article/betty-cooke-total-design-jewelry/|access-date=6 March 2018}}</ref>


==Biography==
==Early life and education==
Cooke was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 5, 1924.<ref name="AAA2004"/> She was an enthusiastic member of the [[Girl Scouts of the USA|Girl Scouts]], attending Camp Whippoorwill.<ref name="Powder">{{cite news |last1=Powder |first1=Jackie |title=Badges of friendship S'more good times: 60 years later, a group of Girl Scouts reunites at Camp Whippoorwill |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-10-01-1995274040-story.html |access-date=15 April 2019 |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=October 1, 1995}}</ref> Her lifelong friend, Dr. Miriam Shamer Daly, describes some childhood adventures with Cooke in her memoir, ''Doctor Miriam''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Daly |first1=Miriam |title=Doctor Miriam |date=March 2022 |publisher=Executive Education, Inc. |location=Chelsea, Michigan |isbn=9798433398535 |pages=29,32-35}}</ref>
Catherine Elizabeth "Betty" Cooke was born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 5, 1924. After taking art classes in high school, she went to the [[Maryland Institute College of Art]], where she later taught. In addition to teaching jewelry design, she developed a class in "Design and Materials" for furniture design with wood, metal, fabric, and leather. During this time she met her husband-to-be, artist Bill Steinmetz.<ref name=OralHistory/>


===Education===
Early in her career, she designed furniture and household articles as well handbags, belts and jewelry. Her first store-front was a small house on Tyson Street, where she lived. In 1955, she married Bill Steinmetz. The couple worked together as designers "Cooke and Steinmetz", in addition to teaching. Their projects included a restaurant, a bowling alley, and a church.<ref name=OralHistory/>
After taking art classes in high school, she went to the [[Maryland Institute College of Art]] (MICA), where she studied from 1942 to 1946.<ref name="AAA2004">{{cite web|last1=Yager |first1=Jan | title=Oral history interview with Betty Cooke, 2004 July 1–2|url=https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-betty-cooke-11731|website=Archives of American Art, Smithsonian|date= July 1, 2004}}</ref> She received a BFA in education, the only way to get an art degree there at that time.<ref name="Schon"/><ref name="Goya"/> During her last year at the institute, she began to learn jewelry making as part of an apprenticeship, which started her on a career in jewelry design.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pathfinder in Jewelry|last=Wharton|first=Carol|date=December 4, 1979|work=The Baltimore Sun |page=71}}</ref>

===Teaching career===
After graduating from MICA in 1946,<ref name="Giuliano"/> Cooke taught there for 22 years.<ref name="Goya"/><ref name="AAA2004"/> In addition to teaching jewelry design, she developed a class in "Design and Materials" for furniture design with wood, metal, fabric, and leather. One of the students who took that class was artist [[Bill Steinmetz (designer)|Bill Steinmetz]]. They later began dating, and eventually married.<ref name=OralHistory/><ref name="Obituary">{{cite news|last1=Kelly|first1=Jacques|title=William Steinmetz, designer and Maryland Institute College of Art alumnus|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-ob-william-steinmetz-20161125-story.html|access-date=6 March 2018|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=November 25, 2016}}</ref>

===Design career===
[[File:Betty cooke, collana, 1960 ca.jpg|thumb|Gold necklace designed by Betty Cooke, circa 1960]]
[[File:Bill Steinmetz 2004 20180714131703.jpg|thumb|Bill Steinmetz, in 2004]]

Early in her career, Cooke designed furniture and household articles as well handbags, belts and jewelry. Her first store-front was a small house on Tyson Street in [[Mount Vernon]] in Baltimore, where she lived.<ref name=OralHistory/>
In 1946, Cooke bought the old rowhouse for $3,000 and began to restore it.<ref name="Kelly"/> She and her partner Bill Steinmetz restored it for use as a house and shop and established a design consultancy there.<ref name="Kelly"/>

In 1955, Cooke and Bill Steinmetz were married. The couple worked together as designers "Cooke and Steinmetz". Their projects included a restaurant, many [[Fair Lanes]] bowling alleys, and a church.<ref name=OralHistory/> Cooke explains her style as applying to large and small media: "I think in terms of jewelry, but jewelry is also sculpture that can be done on a large scale."<ref name=":0" />

They later established The Store Ltd at the [[Village of Cross Keys]] in [[Baltimore]] in 1965.<ref name="Sugarman">{{cite news|last1=Sugarman|first1=Joe|title=Town Jewel|url=http://www.baltimoremagazine.com/2015/4/15/betty-cooke-celebrates-50-years-at-cross-keys|access-date=9 September 2017|work=Baltimore Magazine|date=April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Kelly"/>

===Death===
Cooke died on August 13, 2024, at the age of 100.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gunts |first=Ed |date=2024-08-14 |title=Baltimore Fishbowl {{!}} Betty Cooke, celebrated jewelry designer and esteemed Baltimorean, Dies at 100 - |url=https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/betty-cooke-celebrated-jewelry-designer-and-esteemed-baltimorean-dies-at-100/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=Baltimore Fishbowl |language=en-US}}</ref>


==Jewelry design==
==Jewelry design==
Although she read widely in the areas of art and design, Betty Cooke was largely self-trained. Her jewelry style was influenced by Bauhaus and modernism, and was very simple and pure. Her pieces were sold through museums (Museum of Modern Art, Hirshhorn Museum) and contemporary designers (Keegs in Washington). She designed gold jewelry for [[Stieff Silver|Kirk Stieff]] and jewelry and other items for [[Geoffrey Beene]]. Her work was part of the MoMA "Good Design" Exhibition, and other shows both nationally and internationally.<ref name=OralHistory/>
Although she is widely read in the areas of art and design, Betty Cooke is largely self-trained. Her jewelry style is influenced by [[Bauhaus]] and modernism. It is very simple and pure,<ref name=OralHistory/> both geometric and minimalist.<ref name="Giuliano"/>


Given her early aspiration to become a sculptor,<ref name="Schon"/> it may not be surprising that she thinks of her jewelry as "sculpture in motion". Wearing her jewelry has been compared to having a miniature [[Alexander Calder|Calder]] mobile around your neck.<ref name="Giuliano"/>
==Exhibitions==


Her pieces have been sold through museums such as the [[Museum of Modern Art]] and the [[Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden|Hirshhorn Museum]] and contemporary designers such as Keegs in [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]]. Cooke has designed jewelry for [[Stieff Silver|Kirk Stieff]] and for [[Geoffrey Beene]]'s shows in New York and [[Milan]].<ref name=OralHistory/><ref name="Goya"/>
*1948, “Modern Jewelry Under $50” 1948-1950, Group exhibition, [[Walker Art Center]], Minneapolis, MN (also 1955, 1959)<ref name=OralHistory/><ref name="May">{{cite news

|last1=May|first1=Stephen
{{blockquote|"There is an enduring timelessness about her work, and today, as she did 50 years ago, she continues to create work that is extraordinary in its clean, spare architectural line and stunning simplicity." Fred Lazarus IV, president of Maryland Institute College of Art<ref name="May"/>}}
|title=Betty Cooke: Modern Jewelry Pioneer

|url=http://www.antiquesandthearts.com/web-6-14-13-lead-betty-cooke/|accessdate=8 March 2016
Cooke's work is discussed in ''Modernist jewelry 1930–1960 : the wearable art movement'',<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schon|first1=Marbeth|title=Modernist jewelry 1930–1960 : the wearable art movement|date=2004|publisher=Schiffer|location=Atglen, Pa.|isbn=9780764320200}}</ref> ''Form & function : American modernist jewelry, 1940-1970'',<ref>{{cite book|last1=Schon|first1=Marbeth|title=Form & function : American modernist jewelry, 1940-1970|date=2008|publisher=Schiffer|location=Atglen, PA|isbn=9780764329760}}</ref> and exhibition catalogs including ''Messengers of Modernism: American Studio Jewelry 1940-1960''.<ref name="Greenbaum">{{cite book|last1=Greenbaum|first1=Toni|editor-last=Eidelberg|editor-first=Martin|title=Messengers of Modernism : American studio jewelry 1940–1960|date=1996 |publisher=Flammarian |location=Paris|isbn=9782080135933|edition=Catalogue for exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, 1997|url=http://www.markmcdonald.biz/mom1.html}}</ref>
|work=Antiques and the Arts Weekly

|date=June 14, 2013}}</ref>
Much of Cooke's work incorporates diamonds, gold, and pearls, and she has won awards for her diamond pieces in competitions sponsored by the De Beers Consolidated Mines, now the [[De Beers|De Beers Group]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title=Designer finds a pot of gold and pebbles|last=Wise|first=Gabrielle|date=July 24, 1979|work=The Baltimore Sun |page=B3}}</ref> In her ''annual enumeration series'', she has created an ongoing series of numeric-inspired pieces for patrons who wished to commemorate specific events in their lives by commissioning a piece.<ref name="Yager">{{cite news |last1= Yager |first1=Jan |title= Patrons who make history |url=https://artjewelryforum.org/sites/default/files/Fall%201998%20web.pdf |access-date=26 January 2020 |work=Art Jewelry Forum |date=1998|number=4}}</ref>
*1950 “Good Design”, Group exhibition, [[Museum of Modern Art]], New York, NY<ref name=OralHistory/>

*1951, “Young Americans”, Group exhibition, [[American Craft Museum]], New York, NY<ref name=OralHistory/>
==Selected exhibitions==
*1951, “Textiles, Ceramics, Metalwork“, Group exhibition, [[Cranbrook Educational Community|Cranbrook Academy of Art]], [[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan]]
* 2021, "Betty Cooke: The Circle and the Line", [[Walters Art Museum]], Baltimore, MD <ref name="Wiegand">{{cite news
* 1995, “Design . Jewelry . Betty Cooke“ a retrospective exhibition and catalog of her jewelry from 1946 - 1994, [[Maryland Institute College of Art]] (MICA)
|last1=Wiegand|first1=Kimber
*1997, “Messengers of Modernism”, Group exhibition, [[Musée des arts décoratifs de Montréal]], Canada<ref name="Shaykett">{{cite journal
|title=Circles, Lines, and Good Designs: The Legacy of Betty Cooke
|url=https://artjewelryforum.org/reviews/circles-lines-and-good-designs/
|work=Art Jewelry Forum
|date=November 22, 2021}}</ref>
* 2014, "Betty Cooke: Selections", Goya Contemporary Gallery, Baltimore, MD<ref>{{cite web|title=Betty Cooke: Selections in Baltimore|url=http://baltimore.eventful.com/events/betty-cooke-selections-/E0-001-069753418-2@2014042210|website=Eventful|access-date=6 March 2018}}</ref>
* 2008, [[Fort Wayne Museum of Art]]<ref name="Goya"/>
*1997, "Messengers of Modernism",<ref name="Goya"/> Group exhibition, Musée des arts décoratifs de Montréal, (now part of the [[Montreal Museum of Fine Arts]], [[Montreal|Montreal, Canada]])<ref name="Shaykett">{{cite journal
|last1=Shaykett|first1=Jessica
|last1=Shaykett|first1=Jessica
|title=Betty Cooke: Art + Work
|title=Betty Cooke: Art + Work
Line 66: Line 94:
|date=September 19, 2011
|date=September 19, 2011
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
* 1995, "Design . Jewelry . Betty Cooke" a retrospective exhibition and catalog of her jewelry from 1946 – 1994, [[Maryland Institute College of Art]] (MICA)<ref name="Giuliano"/>
* 2008, [[Fort Wayne Museum of Art]]
* 1951, "Young Americans", Group exhibition, [[Museum of Arts and Design|American Craft Museum]], New York, NY<ref name=OralHistory/><ref name="Goya"/>

* 1951, "Textiles, Ceramics, Metalwork", Group exhibition, [[Cranbrook Educational Community|Cranbrook Academy of Art]], [[Bloomfield Hills, Michigan]]<ref name="Goya"/>
==Awards==
* 1950 "Good Design", Group exhibition, [[Museum of Modern Art]], New York, NY<ref name=OralHistory/><ref name="Goya"/>
*1987, [[Maryland Institute College of Art]], Alumni Medal of Honor
* 1948, "Modern Jewelry Under $50" 1948–1950, Group exhibition, [[Walker Art Center]], Minneapolis, MN (also 1955, 1959)<ref name=OralHistory/><ref name="Goya"/><ref name="May">{{cite news
*1996, [[American Craft Council]], College of Fellows<ref name="Fellows">{{cite web
|last1=May|first1=Stephen
|title=American Craft Council College of Fellows
|title=Betty Cooke: Modern Jewelry Pioneer
|url=http://craftcouncil.org/content/awards/american-craft-council-college-of-fellows
|url=http://www.antiquesandthearts.com/web-6-14-13-lead-betty-cooke/|access-date=8 March 2016
|website=American Craft Council|accessdate=8 March 2016}}</ref>
|work=Antiques and the Arts Weekly
|date=June 14, 2013}}</ref>


==Collections==
==Collections==
Betty Cooke's work is found in museum collections, including:
Betty Cooke's work is found in museum collections, including:
*[[Museum of Modern Art]], New York, NY<ref name="Ober">{{cite web|last1=Ober|first1=Cara|title=Conversations Podcast 1: Betty Cooke|url=http://bmoreart.com/2015/09/conversations-podcast-1-betty-cooke.html|website=BMoreArt|date=16 September 2015 |access-date=6 March 2018}}</ref><ref name="Goya"/>
*[[Museum of Modern Art]], New York, NY
*[[Museum of Arts and Design]], New York, NY<ref name="Goya"/> (formerly [[Museum of Arts and Design|American Craft Museum]], New York, NY<ref name="Giuliano">{{cite news|last1=Giuliano|first1=Mike|title=Cooke's jewelry is a model of restraint|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1995/06/06/cookes-jewelry-is-a-model-of-restraint/|access-date=6 March 2018|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=June 6, 1995}}</ref>)
*[[American Craft Museum]], New York, NY
*[[Walker Art Center]], Minneapolis, MN
*[[Walker Art Center]], Minneapolis, MN<ref name="Goya"/>
*[[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]], MA<ref name="Shaykett"/>
*[[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]], MA<ref name="Shaykett"/><ref name="Goya"/>
*[[Musée des arts décoratifs de Montréal]], Canada
* Musée des arts décoratifs de Montréal, Canada (now part of the [[Montreal Museum of Fine Arts]], [[Montreal|Montreal, Canada]])<ref name="Goya"/>

==Catalogues==
* {{cite book|title=The Circle and the Line : The Jewelry of Betty Cooke. (Catalog of an exhibition held at the Walters Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD)|date=2020|publisher=GILES|location=Lewes, East Sussex, UK}}
* {{cite book|title=Design, Jewelry, Betty Cooke : June 2–25 1995. (Catalog of an exhibition held at the Meyerhoff Gallery)|date=1995|publisher=Maryland Institute College of Art|location=Baltimore, MD}}

==Awards and honors==
* [[American Craft Council]], College of Fellows, 1996<ref name="Goya"/><ref name="Fellows">{{cite web|url=https://craftcouncil.org/about-acc/acc-awards/american-craft-council-college-of-fellows|title=American Craft Council College of Fellows|website=American Craft Council|access-date=10 February 2018}}</ref>
* [[Maryland Institute College of Art]], Alumni Medal of Honor, 1987
* [[De Beers]] Diamonds Today Award 1979, 1981<ref name="Goya"/>
* The Betty Cooke '46 Scholarship, [[Maryland Institute College of Art]]<ref name="MICA Scholarship">{{cite web|title=Donor-Funded Scholarships: A-C|url=https://www.mica.edu/Give_to_MICA/Scholarship_Support/List_of_Current_Scholarships/A-C.html|website=www.mica.edu|access-date=14 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818232420/https://www.mica.edu/Give_to_MICA/Scholarship_Support/List_of_Current_Scholarships/A-C.html|archive-date=18 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|last1=Yager |first1=Jan | title=Oral history interview with Betty Cooke, 2004 July 1–2|url=https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/interviews/oral-history-interview-betty-cooke-11731|website=Archives of American Art, Smithsonian|date= July 1, 2004}}
* {{cite web|last1=Yager |first1=Jan | title=Oral history interview with Betty Cooke, 2004 July 1–2 (Draft transcript) |url=http://www.arietobertoia.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/interview-b-cooke.pdf|website=Harry Bertoia's Birthplace|date= July 1, 2004}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Schon|first1=Marbeth|title=An interview with Betty Cooke|journal=Modern Silver|date=June 13, 2001|url=http://www.modernsilver.com/BETTYCOOKE.htm|access-date=March 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602070518/http://www.modernsilver.com/BETTYCOOKE.htm|archive-date=June 2, 2018|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|title=Betty Cooke Biography – Short|url=http://goyacontemporary.com/news/betty-cooke-biography-short|website=Goya Contemporary|access-date=11 September 2017}}


{{American Craft Council}}
{{American Craft Council}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Betty}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Betty}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:American jewellers]]
[[Category:20th-century American jewellers]]
[[Category:21st-century American jewellers]]
[[Category:American jewelry designers]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Craft Council]]
[[Category:American women jewellers]]
[[Category:American women centenarians]]
[[Category:Artists from Baltimore]]

Latest revision as of 23:38, 23 November 2024

Betty Cooke
Cooke in 2004
Born
Catherine Elizabeth Cooke

(1924-05-05)May 5, 1924
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedAugust 13, 2024(2024-08-13) (aged 100)
Alma mater
Known forJewelry design, metalwork
MovementAmerican Modernist
Spouse
William O. Steinmetz
​
​
(m. 1955; died 2016)​
External audio
audio icon "Conversations Podcast 1: Betty Cooke", Cara Ober, BMoreArt

Catherine Elizabeth Cooke (May 5, 1924 – August 13, 2024) was an American designer principally known for her jewelry.[1][2][3][4][5][6] She has been called "an icon within the tradition of modernist jewelry"[7] and "a seminal figure in American Modernist studio jewelry".[8] Her pieces have been shown nationally and internationally and are included in a number of museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. She is regarded as an important role model for other artists and craftspeople.[9]

Biography

[edit]

Cooke was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 5, 1924.[10] She was an enthusiastic member of the Girl Scouts, attending Camp Whippoorwill.[11] Her lifelong friend, Dr. Miriam Shamer Daly, describes some childhood adventures with Cooke in her memoir, Doctor Miriam.[12]

Education

[edit]

After taking art classes in high school, she went to the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where she studied from 1942 to 1946.[10] She received a BFA in education, the only way to get an art degree there at that time.[7][8] During her last year at the institute, she began to learn jewelry making as part of an apprenticeship, which started her on a career in jewelry design.[13]

Teaching career

[edit]

After graduating from MICA in 1946,[14] Cooke taught there for 22 years.[8][10] In addition to teaching jewelry design, she developed a class in "Design and Materials" for furniture design with wood, metal, fabric, and leather. One of the students who took that class was artist Bill Steinmetz. They later began dating, and eventually married.[2][15]

Design career

[edit]
Gold necklace designed by Betty Cooke, circa 1960
Bill Steinmetz, in 2004

Early in her career, Cooke designed furniture and household articles as well handbags, belts and jewelry. Her first store-front was a small house on Tyson Street in Mount Vernon in Baltimore, where she lived.[2] In 1946, Cooke bought the old rowhouse for $3,000 and began to restore it.[4] She and her partner Bill Steinmetz restored it for use as a house and shop and established a design consultancy there.[4]

In 1955, Cooke and Bill Steinmetz were married. The couple worked together as designers "Cooke and Steinmetz". Their projects included a restaurant, many Fair Lanes bowling alleys, and a church.[2] Cooke explains her style as applying to large and small media: "I think in terms of jewelry, but jewelry is also sculpture that can be done on a large scale."[16]

They later established The Store Ltd at the Village of Cross Keys in Baltimore in 1965.[17][4]

Death

[edit]

Cooke died on August 13, 2024, at the age of 100.[18]

Jewelry design

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Although she is widely read in the areas of art and design, Betty Cooke is largely self-trained. Her jewelry style is influenced by Bauhaus and modernism. It is very simple and pure,[2] both geometric and minimalist.[14]

Given her early aspiration to become a sculptor,[7] it may not be surprising that she thinks of her jewelry as "sculpture in motion". Wearing her jewelry has been compared to having a miniature Calder mobile around your neck.[14]

Her pieces have been sold through museums such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and contemporary designers such as Keegs in Seattle, Washington. Cooke has designed jewelry for Kirk Stieff and for Geoffrey Beene's shows in New York and Milan.[2][8]

"There is an enduring timelessness about her work, and today, as she did 50 years ago, she continues to create work that is extraordinary in its clean, spare architectural line and stunning simplicity." Fred Lazarus IV, president of Maryland Institute College of Art[19]

Cooke's work is discussed in Modernist jewelry 1930–1960 : the wearable art movement,[20] Form & function : American modernist jewelry, 1940-1970,[21] and exhibition catalogs including Messengers of Modernism: American Studio Jewelry 1940-1960.[22]

Much of Cooke's work incorporates diamonds, gold, and pearls, and she has won awards for her diamond pieces in competitions sponsored by the De Beers Consolidated Mines, now the De Beers Group.[16] In her annual enumeration series, she has created an ongoing series of numeric-inspired pieces for patrons who wished to commemorate specific events in their lives by commissioning a piece.[23]

Selected exhibitions

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Collections

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Betty Cooke's work is found in museum collections, including:

Catalogues

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  • The Circle and the Line : The Jewelry of Betty Cooke. (Catalog of an exhibition held at the Walters Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD). Lewes, East Sussex, UK: GILES. 2020.
  • Design, Jewelry, Betty Cooke : June 2–25 1995. (Catalog of an exhibition held at the Meyerhoff Gallery). Baltimore, MD: Maryland Institute College of Art. 1995.

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ Cooke, Betty (June 2–25, 1995). Design, Jewelry, Betty Cooke : June 2–25 1995. Baltimore, MD: Maryland Institute College of Art; Meyerhoff Gallery.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Oral history interview with Betty Cooke, 2004 July 1–2". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  3. ^ Sugarman, Joe (2015). "Town Jewel Betty Cooke's The Store Ltd just turned 50 years old. And at 90, she's not slowing down". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Kelly, Jacques (February 6, 2015). "Designers make lifelong impact on Baltimore's arts scene". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  5. ^ "A Visit with Betty Cooke Designer, Silversmith". Silver Salon Forums. SM Publications. September 2, 2006.
  6. ^ Kirkham, Pat (2000). Women designers in the USA, 1900–2000 : diversity and difference : Jacqueline M. Atkins ... [et al.]. New York: Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts. p. 207. ISBN 9780300093315. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Schon, Marbeth (June 13, 2001). "An interview with Betty Cooke". Modern Silver. Archived from the original on June 2, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Betty Cooke Biography – Short". Goya Contemporary. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  9. ^ Wolf, Toni Lesser (1989). "Betty Cooke: Total Design in Jewelry". Metalsmith Magazine. Spring. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Yager, Jan (July 1, 2004). "Oral history interview with Betty Cooke, 2004 July 1–2". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian.
  11. ^ Powder, Jackie (October 1, 1995). "Badges of friendship S'more good times: 60 years later, a group of Girl Scouts reunites at Camp Whippoorwill". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  12. ^ Daly, Miriam (March 2022). Doctor Miriam. Chelsea, Michigan: Executive Education, Inc. pp. 29, 32–35. ISBN 9798433398535.
  13. ^ Wharton, Carol (December 4, 1979). "Pathfinder in Jewelry". The Baltimore Sun. p. 71.
  14. ^ a b c d e Giuliano, Mike (June 6, 1995). "Cooke's jewelry is a model of restraint". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  15. ^ Kelly, Jacques (November 25, 2016). "William Steinmetz, designer and Maryland Institute College of Art alumnus". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  16. ^ a b Wise, Gabrielle (July 24, 1979). "Designer finds a pot of gold and pebbles". The Baltimore Sun. p. B3.
  17. ^ Sugarman, Joe (April 2015). "Town Jewel". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  18. ^ Gunts, Ed (2024-08-14). "Baltimore Fishbowl | Betty Cooke, celebrated jewelry designer and esteemed Baltimorean, Dies at 100 -". Baltimore Fishbowl. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  19. ^ a b May, Stephen (June 14, 2013). "Betty Cooke: Modern Jewelry Pioneer". Antiques and the Arts Weekly. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  20. ^ Schon, Marbeth (2004). Modernist jewelry 1930–1960 : the wearable art movement. Atglen, Pa.: Schiffer. ISBN 9780764320200.
  21. ^ Schon, Marbeth (2008). Form & function : American modernist jewelry, 1940-1970. Atglen, PA: Schiffer. ISBN 9780764329760.
  22. ^ Greenbaum, Toni (1996). Eidelberg, Martin (ed.). Messengers of Modernism : American studio jewelry 1940–1960 (Catalogue for exhibition organized by the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, 1997 ed.). Paris: Flammarian. ISBN 9782080135933.
  23. ^ Yager, Jan (1998). "Patrons who make history" (PDF). Art Jewelry Forum. No. 4. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  24. ^ Wiegand, Kimber (November 22, 2021). "Circles, Lines, and Good Designs: The Legacy of Betty Cooke". Art Jewelry Forum.
  25. ^ "Betty Cooke: Selections in Baltimore". Eventful. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  26. ^ a b Shaykett, Jessica (September 19, 2011). "Betty Cooke: Art + Work". American Craft Magazine. American Craft Council.
  27. ^ Ober, Cara (16 September 2015). "Conversations Podcast 1: Betty Cooke". BMoreArt. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  28. ^ "American Craft Council College of Fellows". American Craft Council. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  29. ^ "Donor-Funded Scholarships: A-C". www.mica.edu. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
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