The Kindertransport Association and American Jewish Historical Society are delighted to present Costume as Character: Celebrating the Legacy of Ruth Morley, a panel discussion and one night only exhibit.
Kindertransport Survivor Ruth Morley (née Birnholz) fled Vienna in January 1939. After nearly two years in a series of foster homes near London, Ruth and her parents, who had managed to get out just before the war started and borders closed, boarded a ship to New York, sailing far north to avoid U-boats.
As a high school student in New York City, Ruth helped support her parents by drawing greeting cards and cel animation. In the 1950’s she studied under German-American painter Hans Hofmann and went on to design costumes for opera and ballet before moving into theater, film and television. Her work can be seen in such iconic films as The Hustler (1961), The Miracle Worker (1962, Academy Award nomination), Taxi Driver (1976), Annie Hall (1977), Kramer vs Kramer (1979), One from the Heart (1981), The Chosen (1981), Tootsie (1982, BAFTA nomination) and Ghost (1990).
This year, Ruth would have been 100 years old, and her daughters Melissa and Emily have created a series of commemorative events. They, together with Ruth's 3G granddaughter will speak, and filmmakers and actors have recorded videos for this event.
Join panelists Deborah Nadoolman Landis (Costume Designer and Distinguished Professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, Founding Director of the David C. Copley Center for Costume Design), and Susan Gammie (Emmy award-winning costume designer, protege and friend of Ruth Morley), with moderator Julie Salamon (author of The Devil’s Candy, Net of Dreams) for a discussion about Ruth Morley’s career and her impact on the field of costume design.
Sponsors include
The Austrian Cultural Forum
The Fritz Ascher Society
The Kindertransport Association
The League of Professional Theatre Women
The Leo Baeck Institute
New York Women in Film & Television
1014.NYC
3GNY