They were an artists’ collective led by a woman with a membership made up almost entirely of women. Focused on printmaking, they worked at the intersection of immigration, the creative economy and entrepreneurship, all while facing headwinds in a world of gendered work.

The Folly Cove Designers were a successful community in Rockport, Massachusetts, that, between 1941 and 1969, designed images on linoleum panels and imprinted them on fabric. They were led by Virginia Lee Demetrios, an accomplished artist who was also an exceptionally effective teacher.

Local review

“Trailblazing Women Printmakers: Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios and the Folly Cove Designers”

By Elena M. Sarni

Princeton Architectural Press

$35.

Largely forgotten today, they remain important because of their artistic creativity, their commitment to their art form and the beautiful work they create. A new book by South Berwick author Elena Sarni is poised to bring them renewed attention.

“Trailblazing Women Printmakers: Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios and the Folly Cove Designers,” is intended to “celebrate the group’s incredible artistry, document their achievements, and introduce a new audience to their work,” Sarni writes. She makes a convincing case.

Sarni’s interest in the Folly Cove Designers dates to 2006, when she was an assistant curator at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Over the intervening years, she extensively researched the collective and unearthed previously “lost” designs.

Virginia Lee Demetrios was a powerhouse. In 1928, she moved from California to Boston to care for her father. In Boston, she worked as an illustrator for the Boston Evening Transcript, enrolled in the Boston Museum School, and met the man who would become her husband, George Demetrios.

Virginia and George moved to the Folly Cove community of Gloucester, where they lived among descendants of recent immigrants, mostly from Finland. The close-knit environment of the Finnish community proved fertile ground for what would become the Folly Cove Designers.

Virgina raised two children, and by 1939 she had published several children’s books including “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.” She would go on to publish seven books, among them “The Little House,” which won the Caldicott Medal in 1943.

The printmaking collective’s origin story begins in 1938 with a swap: Virginia offered to teach one of her neighbors how to design block prints if the neighbor would, in exchange, give music lessons to one of Virginia’s children. By 1941, the one-on-one design tutoring had blossomed into a printmaking class with 40 to 50 students; Virginia served as the group’s teacher and leader.

Many of the Folly Cove Designers had no prior experience in art. Virginia outlined a deliberate process for them to follow to develop their artistic skills, including helping some collective members learn how to draw. She began to write a book about her design process, “Design and How!” but she never finished it. Some of the book’s funniest moments come when Sarni quotes from letters sent by Virginia’s eternally patient editor gently imploring her to complete the book: “How can I persuade you that (finishing the book) is your duty, your pleasure and a future source of profit for both of us and our grandchildren?”

The Folly Cove Designers focused on simple designs, often from nature, and required students to consider a subject from many perspectives before converting a design to a linoleum block. For work to become a Folly Cove Design print, it had to go through a juried process to earn the group’s seal of approval.

An article in the Nov. 26, 1946, edition of Life Magazine propelled the Folly Cove Designers into the public eye. At the time, Life Magazine was one of the country’s most widely read publications, and being the subject of a Life Magazine article was public relations gold. The group became more market-aware, for example, changing the name of one piece from “Compost Pile” to “Deciduous.” By 1948, they had trademarked their name and made distribution deals with major retailers of the day, such as Lord & Taylor and Macy’s.

But the Folly Cove Designers felt strongly about keeping artistic control of their work even if it meant, as it eventually did, exiting commercial contracting. “A Macy’s representative told Virginia Lee Demetrious that if the group were to sign with Macy’s and let them handle production, she could be driving a Rolls Royce instead of a Ford,” Sarni wrote, “to which she is said to have replied that she liked her Ford.”

During the 1950s and into the 1960s, the Folly Hill Designers focused on art not commercialism, “and their belief (was) that community was at the heart of their enterprise,” Sarni wrote. They continued making art until Virginia’s death in 1969, at which point the collective disbanded. By then, the group had produced over 300 prints and participated in over 15 exhibitions.

This is a gorgeous book that features a generous display of the designer’s often stunningly beautiful work in elegantly designed arrangements. Each image is accompanied by insightful comments from Sarni, whose scholarship and storytelling skills are evident throughout. “Trailblazing Women Printmakers,” which brought me joy every time I picked the volume up, is the tribute that the Folly Cove Designers deserve.

Dave Canarie is an attorney and faculty member at the University of Southern Maine. He lives in South Portland.