Folly Cove Designers Exhibition Catalogue (Sixth Edition)

Published by Cape Ann Museum; Foreword by Martha Oaks; Catalogue Essay by Sharon Worley

Discover the legacy of the Folly Cove Designers in this beautifully redesigned edition of The Folly Cove Designers 1941-1969. The catalogue accompanied the Cape Ann Museum’s 2023 exhibit titled Designed & Hand-Blocked by the Folly Cove Designers. This sixth edition includes updated information and images as well as new collection acquisitions from the past decade. The catalogue outlines the history and artistic practices of the group and contextualizes the designers’ relationship to the museum.

The Folly Cove Designers (1938-1969) were a group of designer-craftsmen who produced carefully wrought designs cut into linoleum blocks and printed (primarily) on fabric. The group was composed almost entirely of women, most being residents of Cape Ann and a majority having no artistic training prior to becoming involved in the group. They worked under the leadership of Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios, who devised a design course which she offered to her friends and neighbors in the Folly Cove neighborhood. Participants were urged by Demetrios to look to their surroundings for inspiration, to draw "what they knew" and to sketch their subjects over and over again until they made them their own.

Softcover, 78 pages, 11.5 x .25 x 9". Black & White and Full Color Images; Index of 328 original Folly Cove Designs.

Copyright 1996 Cape Ann Museum; Reprinted in 2024.