Bernie Witzack of bernie & zuzu served as the Artist-in-Residence at Pinney Library from February - October 2023. Bernie led workshops, hosted open studio hours, provided numerous prompts for passive art creation and worked on their large-scale art installation during their residency. There was so much community involvement and fun throughout the span of these nine months! The residency theme was Color Play: Making the World A Little More Rainbow. As the residency draws to a close, bernie&zuzu will now transition to being the featured artist exhibition with work displayed around Pinney Library from November 2023 - February 2024 for their Adventures in Color Play show.
Upcoming Events:
Celebration of Residency and Exhibit Opening
Saturday, November 11, 2-4pm | Pinney Library
Join us to celebrate Pinney Library's art installation “Color Play – Making the World a Little More Rainbow” created by 2023 Pinney Studio Artist-in-Residence bernie & zuzu! There will be a creative art activity inspired by Bernie's installation and light refreshments, as well as a showcase of the color-filled installation created by bernie & zuzu. Bernie will be present to talk about her vision for this installation and how it was created with much help from community members from February-November 2023.
Along with the amazing Rainbow Room, this Celebration will unveil Adventures in Color Play, an exhibit grown out of Bernie’s experience as the Pinney Artist in Residence. Adventures in Color Play aims to be several things at once: a documentation of Bernie’s residency, a continuation of the themes of the residency, and a distillation of moments and memories from the residency into a small intimate scale. After the installation/Rainbow Room was completed, Bernie took some time to process and reflect on her experience at Pinney. The drawings you see here are both an expression of Bernie’s experience and were inspired by artwork in the Rainbow Room - made by community members (you!).
Studio Collection:
Library visitors are also invited to explore the Studio Collection, which is a special, curated collection of books and materials focused on art, creativity and making. Every artist-in-residence so far has contributed to the collection by recommending books and magazines, and it has grown to include 75+ items.
Learn more about Artists-in-Residence at the library on the Bubbler website.
About the Artist: Bernie & Zuzu
bernie & zuzu is named for Bernie Witzack and her cat Zuzu. Bernie studied Studio Art at Beloit College and has been making and exhibiting her art ever since. She earned an MFA in Fine Art from the University of Michigan, focusing on improvisational drawing and painting. She also studied graphic design at Madison College and was working as a graphic designer before leaving the field to focus on her art full time. She launched bernie & zuzu in 2021.