Elegance is composed of artifacts sourced from family photo albums. Zoë’s grandmother, Sandra Olivia Moon Hightower aka GranSan was a librarian and fashion designer whose preserved collection offers inspiration and guidance. The word, “Elegance” is written in hand-calligraphy by Sandra demonstrating resourcefulness and skill as a multitalented artist. This print acts as an archive using graphic methods to document and celebrate joy and Hightower’s extraordinary legacy.

The world “Elegance” is written in fluorescent orange with a glossy black drop shadow. Behind it, imagery is redacted and screenprinted onto white washed pink paper revealing an undiluted bold border. Photo processed amplitude modulated halftone divides color channels into lines of undulating primary dots up close while reading as photocollage from afar. 

Zoë Pulley (b. 1993, Chicago, Illinois) is an artist, designer and educator in Brooklyn, NY. Her work utilizes textiles, type, and digital  media to examine American heritage and the seemingly ordinary stories of Black folks. 

Pulley received her MFA in graphic design from  Rhode Island School of Design in 2023 and her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015. Most recently, Pulley was an  Artist-In-Residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem. She has exhibited work at MoMA PS1, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The  Newport Art Museum, The RISD Museum and The Art Museum of the University of Memphis. Her work is held in the collections of The  Studio Museum in Harlem, The Valentine Museum, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, and Printed Matter. Pulley is an inaugural recipient  of the Rhode Island School of Design Society of Presidential Fellows Award and was named the Graduate Graphic Designer to Watch by  GDUSA in 2023. She is currently an Artist-In-Residence at Smack Mellon and teaches at Parsons School of Design and Yale School of  Art. 

ZoePulley.com