Stella Waitzkin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stella Waitzkin
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| Born |
Stella Rosenblatt
1920 New York, New York
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| Died | 2003 (aged 82–83) New York, New York
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| Nationality | American |
Stella Waitzkin (1920–2003) was an American artist. She was famous for creating sculptures that looked like books. Her art was often part of larger art installations, which are like art environments you can walk through.
About Stella Waitzkin
Stella Waitzkin was born in New York City in 1920. She studied art with famous painters like Hans Hofmann and Willem de Kooning. These artists were part of a style called abstract expressionism. This style uses colors and shapes to show feelings, not realistic pictures.
Stella was very talented. She received nine special awards called MacDowell fellowships. A fellowship is like a scholarship that helps artists focus on their work. She got these awards between 1974 and 1984.
She was also part of important groups like the Women Artists in Revolution. This group worked to support women artists. She was also a member of the Art Worker's Coalition in the 1970s. This group helped artists have a stronger voice in the art world.
Stella Waitzkin passed away in New York City in 2003. Before she died, she helped create the Waitzkin Memorial Library Trust. This trust made sure her artworks were shared with many museums. More than sixty museums now have her amazing pieces.
Her art can be seen in many famous places. These include the Museum of Modern Art in New York. You can also find her work at the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center has a very large collection of her art. They even have three walls she sculpted. These walls are based on her living room at the Hotel Chelsea!
Stella's Book Sculptures
Stella Waitzkin loved to focus on books as art objects. She saw them like ancient scrolls or beautiful old manuscripts. Starting in the mid-1960s, she began making hundreds of sculptures. These sculptures were shaped like books.
She made them from a material called cast polyester resin. This material allowed her to create detailed and unique book forms. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Wisconsin has over 700 of her individual book sculptures.
Stella once said about her art: "Words are lies. I make the books to get away from the word. When I make the books, I feel like I’m telling folk stories; it’s all there inside the book. You don’t have to necessarily read it, see, because you already know the whole thing by heart.” This quote helps us understand her art. She wanted her book sculptures to tell stories without needing words. She believed the feeling and meaning were already inside the art itself.
