The mission of the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust is to honor the creative and philanthropic legacy of Edward Gorey through preservation and promotion of his literary and artistic works and support of the animal welfare causes to which he was devoted.
Edward Gorey created the Trust in his will, designating it as the sole owner of his intellectual property and charging it to benefit organizations โwhose primary purpose is the welfare of animals.โ The Trust pursues its mission by licensing Mr. Goreyโs intellectual property, lending his work to museums and other exhibitors, and issuing grants for animal rescue, care, and conservation. In 2019, the Trust began new efforts to organize Mr. Goreyโs archive for the use of researchers and educators and to expand the reach of his work through collaborations with artists, designers, non-profit organizations, and others.
Edward Gorey
โThe facts of my life are so few, tedious, and irrelevant to anything else, there is no point in going into them,โ Edward St. John Gorey told an interviewer, which should reduce his biography to โborn February 22, 1925, Chicago; died April 15, 2000, Barnstable, MA,โ with a mention of his idiosyncratic writings and drawings. Itโs true that there is no overt drama in Goreyโs history and no fraught relationships. Instead, there is an astonishing dedication to work, as well as to arcane films, ballet, TV sitcoms, cats, and collecting books, used toys, and miscellany, plus enormous erudition, and connections with some of the most significant literary figures of his generation.
Gorey was raised mainly in and near Chicago, where he attended the Francis W. Parker School, with his close friend the future Abstract Expressionist painter Joan Mitchell. His earliest works, apart from drawings of โsausage-like trains,โ made at one and a half, were illustrations for his elementary school yearbook. (Goreyโs precocity included teaching himself to read at three.) Graduating from high school at seventeen, in 1942, and eligible for the draft, he enrolled for one semester at the Art Institute of Chicago, his only art training. He spent 1943 to 1946 serving in World War II, mostly at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. โEvery time I pick up a paper and see that 12,000 more sheep died mysteriously in Utah,โ Gorey told Dick Cavett in 1977, โI think โOh, theyโre at it again.โโ
With bat. From a photograph by Ira Wyman, 1977.
The Team
Eric D. Sherman
๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ โ Eric is co-trustee of the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust, having succeeded the late Andreas Brown in 2019. After receiving his B.A. in political science and philosophy from Syracuse University, Eric earned a J.D. from New York Law School, where he served on the New York Law School Law Review. Eric is currently a partner at Pryor Cashman LLP, a New York-based law firm. Outside of work, Eric serves on the Board of Directors of the Edward Gorey House. An avid rare book collector, Eric is also a member of the Grolier Club and served for 5 years as chair of the Syracuse University Libraries Board of Advisors.
R. Andrew Boose
๐ง๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ โ Andrew was legal counsel to Edward Gorey and assisted Edward in including the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust in his estate plan. Andrew has been co-trustee of the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust since Edwardโs death in the year 2000. He attended Georgetown University and the Yale Law School, and after serving in the U.S. Army for two years he practiced law until the end of 2020.
William C. Baker
๐๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ โ Will has worked with the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust since the summer of 2019, when he was hired to organize the original art and papers in its care into a working archive. He holds degrees in religion, museum studies, and library science, served as the first executive director of New Havenโs historic Institute Library, and currently works both as archivist for the Trust and as a seller and appraiser of rare books and manuscripts. Willโs fond first encounter with Edward Goreyโs art was watching the opening credits of PBSโ Mystery! series with his grandmother as a young boy; he has been an admirer ever since.
Andrew Alpern
๐๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ โ Andrew is an attorney, an architect, an architectural historian, and the author of eleven books. He has also been involved with Edward Gorey and his work since 1970. In 1980 he published Goreyโs F.M.R.A., and in 2010 he donated his major collection of Gorey books, ephemera, and original material to the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University. In 2012 he curated and mounted a large exhibition there of a significant portion of that collection, and participated in a panel discussion on Gorey with Karen Wilkin and Andreas Brown.
Karen Wilkin
๐๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ โ Karen Wilkin is a New York-based curator and critic. Educated at Barnard College and Columbia University, she has written monographs on Stuart Davis, David Smith, Anthony Caro, Kenneth Noland, Helen Frankenthaler, Giorgio Morandi, Georges Braque, and Hans Hofmann, as well as three books on Edward Gorey, and has organized exhibitions of these artists internationally. She is Contributing Editor for Art for The Hudson Review, a regular contributor to The New Criterion, The Hopkins Review, and The Wall Street Journal, and teaches in the New York Studio Schoolโs MFA program.
Jeanette Miller
๐๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ โ Jeanette Miller is an art historian and archivist based in New York City. She holds a Masterโs Degree in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture from The Bard Graduate Center. Jeanette has worked for The Boston Athenรฆum, The Museum of Arts and Design, and The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. She specializes in collections management, archival housing, and provenance research, with expertise in works on paper, film, textiles, and jewelry. Her favorite book by Edward Gorey is LโHeure Bleue.
Nicole Marra
๐ฐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ โ Nicole is an award-winning senior executive, entrepreneur, board member, and attorney. For over 20 years, she has earned a reputation as an exceptional strategic partner and a creative and collaborative problem solver. She has also run business and legal affairs for many of the worldโs leading luxury brands in North and South America, including Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, and Sergio Rossi. Throughout her career, she has driven operations, protected assets, reduced liabilities, and supported leaders to achieve exponential growth.
Raquel Serebrenik
๐ฐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ โ Raquel is an expert in the arts and culture industry, where she consults with emerging artists and designers, established artists, and art foundations, with a special focus on financial stability and growth strategies to successfully promote their work. In addition, she has worked with cultural organizations in creating unique programs and development strategies, including the YJP of NY and The Museum of Modern Art of Bogota. Some of her other collaborations have involved the development, conservation, and curatorial endeavors at the Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the American Institute of Architects.