Short Bio
Vivian F. Zoë is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the Ohio State University with degrees in studio art, arts education and administration and theatre design. Recently retired, she has served as the director of several museums and arts organizations. She is a historian who’s researched and published numerous articles about the people, places, artists and art in Connecticut history. She is the daughter, granddaughter, and niece of Holocaust survivors. Since retirement, Vivian has focused on researching the history of her own family and creating her own artwork which has enjoyed inclusion in juried exhibitions at galleries including the Lyme Art Association (CT), Five Points Center for the Visual Arts (CT), and the Bristol (RI) Art Museum. She works in her home studio in Gales Ferry, CT, USA.
Statement
I am fortunate to live and work surrounded by trees and on a body of water. This leads me to see, in every season and all weather, the effects of changing light and shadows. Trees present themselves as individuals with varying personalities framed by my windows and glass doors. My goal is to present them in portraits as one would people. Seasonal light changes the same view dramatically. Colors, shapes and reflections vary literally from one moment to the next. I attempt to capture this.
Biography
Vivian F. Zoë is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the Ohio State University with degrees in studio art, arts education and administration and theatre design. Recently retired, she has served as the director of the Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich, CT, the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, Craftsman Farms (New Jersey Home of Gustav Stickley) and the City of Hartford’s Office of Cultural Affairs. A peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums, she volunteers her time to the League of Women Voters, her local garden club and historical society. Since retirement, Vivian has focused on her own artwork which has enjoyed inclusion in juried exhibitions at galleries including the Lyme Art Association (CT), Five Points Center for the Visual Arts (CT), and the Bristol Art Museum and Rhode Island Watercolor Society, both in RI. She works in her home studio in Gales Ferry, CT, USA.
Resume / CV
VIVIAN F. ZOË
46 PINELOCK DRIVE
GALES FERRY CT 06335
(860) 965-1883 (C)
SELECTED RECENT EXHIBITIONS:
2023 – Rhode Island Watercolor Society
Falling into Winter
Bristol Art Museum, Rhode Island
Miniature Monumental, Juried exhibition
Expanded Visions, Juried Exhibition
Connecticut Women Artists
Annual National Juried Exhibition
Lyme Art Association
Long and Lean, Juried exhibition
2022 - Lyme Art Association
Renewal Spring
Connecticut Women Artists
Annual National Juried Exhibition
2021 – Windsor Art Center
Open Juried Exhibition
Mystic Museum of Art
Members’ Exhibition
Lyme Art Association
Hello Yellow
Centennial Celebration
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
Re-Discovering Ellis Ruley, Connecticut Explored, Winter 2018/2019
Bela Lyon Pratt: Sculptor of Monument, exhibition catalogue, Slater Memorial Museum, 2017
John Meyer of Norwich: An American Original, exhibition catalogue, Slater Memorial Museum, 2015
Slater Museum’s Casts have U.K.Cousins; The Muse, Winter 2014
Connecticut Artists of the 20th
Century, exhibition catalog, Slater Memorial Museum, 2011
The Slaters Go Round the World, Connecticut Explored, Winter 2011/2012
Crocker’s Norwich, Art & Industry in the 19th Century, exhibition catalog, Slater Memorial Museum, 2010
The Mill Village Rendered, The New England Mill Village conference illustrated lecture, Providence, R.I.,2008
John Denison Crocker, Norwich’s Renaissance Man, Hog River Journal, Winter 2006/2007
The Story of Henry Watson Kent & the Slater Memorial Museum, Artis, June/July 2005
Noah Webster, A Connecticut Yankee Doodle Dandy, Hog River Journal, Spring 2003
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
SLATER MEMORIAL MUSEUM, Norwich Free Academy, Norwich, CT(2003-2021); DIRECTOR/CURATOR (retired)
n Developed new vision and strategies for art museum/historic site servicing academy and community
n Oversaw major site capital improvements, restoration and expansion; implemented collections migration to new storage facility; currently developing plan for restoration of 132-year-old slate roof
n Initiated museum-wide interpretation plan; conceive, research and plan exhibitions; research and author articles and catalogues relative to collections and exhibitions; currently developing plan for new long-term Asian exhibition
n Research, assess and triage objects for conservation, exhibition and publication; build collections catalog
n Act as liaison to Academy, City, community and Tribes; Represent the museum to media and government
NOAH WEBSTER HOUSE & WEST HARTFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY, W. H., CT; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
n Oversaw all operations and curated municipally-owned museum and historic site/ historical society
n Supervised professional, teaching and support staff of 40
n Managed collections/site conservation, temporary exhibitions development, restoration, AAM re-accreditation
n Cultivated donors and volunteers, recruited/trained board. Raised funds; researched/authored grant applications
n Initiated, planned and raised sufficient funds for a new education center and facsimile 18th c. kitchen
ANTIQUARIAN AND LANDMARKS SOCIETY, Hartford, CT; DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
n Planned, implemented, and coordinated all aspects of resource development to ensure stability
of annual operating budget plus ongoing capital/restoration projects for 11 historic house museums state-wide
n Chief communications officer, community liaison/representative for program, media and image-related matters
n Initiated new $1.3M project of re-interpretation/restoration in urban, capital city museum site; raised one quarter of necessary funding in first year; developed programs to engage diverse urban community.
LUTZ CHILDREN'S MUSEUM, Manchester, CT; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
n Rejuvenated Board of Directors and staff of 40 year-old educational institution, initiated new programming
n Oversaw renovation, exhibition development, garnered new grant funds and expanded educational programs
CRAFTSMAN FARMS FOUNDATION, Parsippany, NJ; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CURATOR
n Curated collection and municipally owned site of New Jersey home Gustav Stickley; initiated programming
n Developed policies for Board approval in restoration, conservation, facilities and fiscal management
n Cultivated sources for acquisitions/collections; recruited/oriented new board members; acted as liaison to Town
n Initiated interpreter training program and staffing plan, supervised staff, consultants, and volunteers
OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, City of Hartford, CT; DIRECTOR
n Directed the development and production of participatory and experiential opportunities for Hartford's ethnically, culturally, and economically diverse population
n Curated exhibitions of Municipal Art Gallery; managed music grant-making program; built new outdoor stage
n Researched and solicited sources for supplemental, non-municipal funding of programs & projects
n Advised City and State artists, arts organizations, educational institutions and other City departments
CHARTER OAK CULTURAL CENTER, Hartford, CT; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
n Curated restoration of State's first synagogue building; developed plans for community cultural center use
n Supervised and coordinated consultants/contractors; acted as general contractor in historic restoration, adaptation; administered capital budget and negotiated with State and municipal code enforcement entities
n Designed and implemented programming for broad service to diverse public in performing and visual arts, humanities, education, and entertainment; initiated interpreter recruitment and training program
Numerous lectures and articles covering arts and history, critical and historical discussion of artists and schools of those represented in the various museums’ collections.
EDUCATION:
MASTER OF ARTS, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
n Arts administration, community art education
MASTER OF FINE ARTS PROGRAM, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
n Theatre, design
GRADUATE STUDIES, State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
n Painting, theatre, dance
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
n Painting, ceramics, art history
