The Wellington Art Society will feature a presentation by artist and author Sharon Koskoff, known as “the Duchess of Deco,” on Wednesday, April 14.
The meeting and presentation will take place through the Wellington Art Society’s virtual Zoom link, which is distributed via e-mail to all members. A meet-and-greet will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the member spotlight and a brief meeting. The meeting will conclude with the presentation by Koskoff entitled “Confessions of a Public Mural Artist: Murals of the Palm Beaches… Bigger is Better!” The public is invited. RSVP by e-mail to presidentofwas@gmail.com.
Koskoff is a full-time professional artist and published author known for her decometric murals, graphic designs, public art installations and love of Art Deco architecture. Her love for art began when she was a young girl, playing with the sewing machines and fabric scraps in her father’s ladies’ blouse factory. When she was 14 years old, her newly married older sister asked her to paint a mural in her apartment. That was the beginning of a now 40-year-long career of painting public murals.
Koskoff works exclusively in acrylic, water-based paints for her public murals. She also creates collage and public art installations using found objects. Koskoff said that she likes to collect things that will one day be useful. “I can see the potential in someone else’s discards,” she said.
Koskoff draws her inspiration from teaching, embracing the challenges of new commissions and working within her community. Her most recent book, Murals of the Palm Beaches, is the winner of a silver medal from the Florida Book Awards (FBA) in Tallahassee for Visual Arts, as well as a silver medal from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association (FAPA) in Orlando for Education. This book tells the history of large-scale murals and explores how public art has helped to revitalize downtowns and create landmarks in Palm Beach County.
Koskoff is a Muse Award Winner for Arts Educator of the Year (2014-16) from the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. She is a well-known tour guide and lecturer on the architecture and styling of 20th century design, as seen in her book Art Deco of the Palm Beaches. Mentored by Miami Beach’s “Queen of Art Deco,” Barbara Baer Capitman, she is the founding president of the Art Deco Society of the Palm Beaches, a non-for-profit historic preservation organization established in 1987.
For further information about the Wellington Art Society, visit www.wellingtonartsociety.org.
