Biography
Rosemary Zwick was born in Chicago, IL, on July 13, 1925. She received her BFA degree from the University of Iowa in 1945, and attended the Art Institute of Chicago evening school from 1946-47. Additionally, Zwick took education courses at DePaul University from 1947-1948, and studied aesthetics at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle in 1979. Zwick died February 3, 1995, in Evanston, IL.
During the start of her career, Zwick did free lance illustration and ad layouts for various companies. She was art editor for Junior Arts & Activities magazine for teachers from 1947-48. She also served as associate director of the 4 Arts Gallery in Evanston, IL, from 1962-1985, which she and her husband co-owned. She worked in various media including clay and created prints such as serigraphs and etchings. She also painted with watercolor, oil and acrylic paints. She has created ceramic garden sculptures, and large clay works fired in the kiln in sections. Zwick has been described as a "free thinker" since she was professionally recognized as a painter, printmaker, and a ceramist. In 1969, she engaged in a legal battle with Evanston city officials concerning taxation for a mural affixed to the front of the 4 Arts Gallery.
Zwick participated in numerous juried and invitational exhibitions during her career including exhibitions at the Library of Congress Print Annual and the Society of Washington Printmakers. She exhibited at the Illinois State Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum. She held solo exhibitions at various galleries including the Chicago Public Library and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She received awards and honors for her work. One of her paintings was selected for the "Art in Embassy" program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. Some of her art works have been included in Smithsonian and American Federation of Art traveling exhibits.
Zwick's art works are in the collections of Standard Oil Company of Indiana, the U.S. Post Office in San Francisco, the Motorola Company in Chicago, and in numerous private collections. She completed commissions for the Wonderland Shopping Center in Detroit (two large sculptures), the Bedford Park, IL, Public Library (5 reliefs) and the Motorola Company (bas relief). Reproductions of her art works regularly appeared in publications.
Source of Biography
North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century. New York: Garland Publishing, 1995
Who's Who in American Art. New Providence, NJ: Marquis Who's Who, 1998