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Conversations Podcast 1: Betty Cooke

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BmoreArt Premiers New Podcast Series

We are pleased to present the first episode of Conversations, our new podcast series. In each episode, the interviewer will meet with a Baltimore-based artist, art administrator, or performer who has made a significant contribution to the arts and culture of the region. We will meet with subjects in their own home, office, or studio to chronicle the lives of those interviewed, but to also document the rich history of the arts in Baltimore. We began recording and production in summer 2015 with a team of contributors from BmoreArt conducting the interviews.

For our first episode Cara Ober, founding editor of BmoreArt, interviews Betty Cooke.

Betty Cooke was born in 1926 in Baltimore, MD, where she has lived and worked since. She is one of the world’s foremost designers and jewelry artists. She has won numerous awards and her work is part of the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Arts and Design, Baltimore Museum of Art, American Craft Museum, and Walker Arts Center. She is a former MICA faculty member, a role which spanned more than two decades, With husband William Steinmetz, Cooke established Cooke Steinmetz Designers and Consultants, and later THE STORE LTD, a renowned retailer of uniquely designed creations. This interview was conducted in the summer of 2015 at her store.

Podcast Link here: https://soundcloud.com/bmoreart/conversations-episide-1-betty-cooke-interview-by-cara-ober

Produced by BmoreArt Conversations is funded by a Warhol Foundation Grit Fund Grant administered through The Contemporary of Baltimore.

The introductory music for this episode is by 92owls. Photos by Cara Ober and Jack Livingston.

IMG_0150Cara Ober and Betty Cooke

IMG_0148Betty Cooke in front of jewelry cases at The Store LTD.

IMG_0137In Cooke’s office, where decision are made… love the giant scissors!

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Many thanks to Betty Cooke and The Store Ltd for this episode of Conversations!

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