NYC BOOK AWARDS 1997
Terra-Cotta Skyline
Susan Tunick and Peter Mauss
"Through her patient documentation over fifteen years, with the help of Peter Mauss's astutely positioned camera lens and consummate photographic artistry, Susan Tunick has made a ubiquitous but often unnoticed element of the New York City streets dramatically and enticingly visible to the average New Yorker." - The Award Committee
Architectural terra cotta became an integral part of the buildings in New York City well over one hundred years ago. During much of the last century, however, this exceptional material has received little attention from most city dwellers. Terra cotta had its modern roots in the nineteenth century industrial era, grew in popularity in Stanford White's Gilded Age, and achieved its fullest realization in the geometry of the Art Deco period. Today, terra cotta is enjoying a quiet renaissance in restoration projects as well as new construction.
Susan Tunick is a national spokesperson for the preservation of architectural terra cotta and an established artist working in ceramic mosaic.
Peter Mauss photographs architecture, interiors, and landscapes for the design professional.
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