Promoting the textile

and needle arts

About Us‍ ‍Mission‍ ‍History‍

Leadership ‍Emeriti ‍Board

ABOUT US

Supporting scholarly excellence and public engagement 

About Us‍ ‍Mission‍ ‍History‍ ‍Leadership ‍Emeriti ‍Board

For more than two decades, the Coby Foundation has supported projects that advance scholarship in the field of textiles and the needle arts, expand public access to museum collections, and foster public engagement with textiles and textile history. Through its strategic grantmaking, the Foundation champions the enduring relevance of textile arts and fashion.

10+
grants
1+
million
10+
organizations

SINCE 2003

MISSION

Our mission is to foster a deeper understanding and public appreciation of textiles and the needle arts by encouraging innovative scholarship, engaging exhibitions, and expanded access to museum collections.

The Foundation supports exhibitions, public programs, publications, conservation, and community art projects at museums and other non-profit organizations across the Mid-Atlantic and New England.

In the spirt of its founder, Irene Silverman, the Foundation champions creative expression and embraces the full spectrum of textile arts and fashion across techniques, time periods, and cultures.

RECENT PROJECTS

Browse some recent projects supported by the Coby Foundation

  • Jeffrey Gibson: POWER FULL BECAUSE WE'RE DIFFERENT, MASS MoCA, 2025-26. Photo: Tony Luong courtesy of MASS MoCA

  • Printed Textiles from Kinggait Studios, Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Bowdoin College, 2025

  • Legendary Looks: The Art of Effects Design in House Ballroom, ArtsWestchester Gallery, 2025. Photo by Maksin Akelin Media

  • Beau McCall, Button bracelets - Buggin' Out 1 & 2, 2016. In Beau McCall: Buttons On!, Fuller Craft Museum, 2024

  • Anila Quayyum Agha, A Flood of Tears (Gathering Storms), 2023. In Anila Quayyum Agha: Interwoven, Michener Art Museum, 2025-26. Photo by Christian Giannelli

  • DY Begay (Diné/Navajo), Intended Vermillion, 2015. Commissioned and funded by Kent and Elaine Olson for the Denver Art Museum. In Sublime Light: Tapestry Art of DY Begay, National Museum of the American Indian, 2024-25

  • Child’s sealskin parka, ca. 1929. Courtesy of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, Bowdoin College, Gift of Donald and Miriam MacMillan. In Natchiq | Onkeehq | Isuwiq: Indigenous Artists Honor the Seal, RISD Museum, 2026

  • Pull-tab vest, turtleneck, bell-bottom jeans, and peace-symbol belt, 1970-75. In Real Clothes, Real Lives: Two Hundred Years of What Women Wore, organized by the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection, presented at the New-York Historical Society, 2024. Photo, Anna-Marie Kellen 

  • Weave Across America coverlet, a collaborative project. Thousand Islands Arts Center, 2025-26

  • Plymouth Tapestry, 2022. Detail showing Wampanoag village of Patuxet (later Plymouth) before the arrival of English colonists, with indigenous families gathering and planting corn near their seasonal homes. Embroidery project to be completed in 2028, Pilgrim Hall Museum

  • (PLACEHOLDER IMAGE) Lebanon bed rug stitched by Philena McCall, 1802, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. In New London County Quilts & Bedcovers, 1750-1825, Florence Griswold Museum, 2022

  • Melissa Cody, The Three Rivers. 2021. In Melissa Cody: Webbed Skies, MoMA PS1, 2024. Photo: Kris Graves 

The Foundation’s inspiration and namesake, Irene Meladakis Zambelli (1890–1985), emigrated from Greece to the United States in 1914. After arriving at Ellis Island, she initially moved to New Orleans before settling in New York City with her daughter during the early years of the Great Depression. 

In New York, the younger Irene (1916-1998) studied ballet with the celebrated Russian choreographer Michel Fokine. Unable to afford his fees, Mrs. Zambelli bartered her skills, sewing costumes for the Ballet Russes dancers in exchange for her daughter’s classes. Irene eventually joined the Radio City Music Hall ballet corps. Meanwhile, her mother became a sought-after talent for New York’s elite fashion houses, including Elizabeth Arden and Charles James. 

In 1941, Irene married real estate lawyer Samuel Silverman. The couple delighted in the company of their creative and scholarly friends and hosted frequent gatherings in their elegant Manhattan townhouse. Throughout their lives, mother and daughter remained bonded by a shared passion for sewing. Together, they crafted fashions, appliquéd pillows, and crocheted afghans inspired by modern art masterworks. Examples of their imaginative creations are preserved in the collections of the Newark Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Historical, and the New York State Museum. 

HISTORY

The Coby Foundation was established in 1994 by Irene Zambelli Silverman in memory of her mother, an expert dressmaker whom she proudly described as “the finest needlewoman in New York.”

  • Irene Meladakis Zambelli (1890-1985), 1966. Rockefeller Archive Center, Coby Foundation records

  • Irene Zambelli Silverman (1916-1998), ca. 1960. Rockefeller Archive Center, Coby Foundation records

  • Irene Zambelli Silverman (1916-1998), photograph by Yousuf Karsh, 1954. Rockefeller Archive Center, Coby Foundation records

  • Irene Silverman, Crocheted skirt (front), 1992. The Newark Museum of Art, Gift of The Coby Foundation, Ltd.

  • Irene Silverman, Crocheted skirt (back), 1992. The Newark Museum of Art, Gift of The Coby Foundation, Ltd.

  • Irene Zambelli, Wool tweed suit designed and made for Irene Silverman, 1953-56. Museum of the City of New York, Gift of The Coby Foundation, Ltd.

  • Irene Silverman, Romper-style playsuit with printed kittens, ca. 1965. Museum of the City of New York, Gift of The Coby Foundation, Ltd.

  • Irene Zambelli, Tunisian crochet picture after Relational Painting by Fritz Glarner, ca. 1965. The Newark Museum of Art, Gift of The Coby Foundation, Ltd.

In 1994, Irene Silverman established the Foundation to honor her mother and other unsung dressmakers. She named the entity “Coby” after her mother’s affectionate nickname, which was inspired by a comical radio show character named Cobina. Following Irene Silverman’s death in 1998, the Coby Foundation’s Board of Directors committed to carrying forward her vision.

Today, the Foundation’s targeted grantmaking program fuels creativity, scholarship, and professional excellence in the fields of textiles and fashion. Since awarding its inaugural grant, the Foundation has extended over $11 million in funding to more than 180 institutions, helping to elevate textiles from a marginalized craft to a mainstream art form. 

LEADERSHIP

Photo: Dustin Satloff

Margi Hofer
Executive Director

Margi joined the Coby Foundation in 2024, succeeding long-time executive director Ward Mintz. Before entering philanthropy, Margi spent three decades at the New-York Historical Society, where she served as curator of decorative arts (1993-2015) and museum director (2015-2023). Her exhibitions included several Coby Foundation-funded projects, including Home Sewn: Three Centuries of Stitching History (2003); a presentation of the traveling exhibition Homefront and Battlefield: Quilts and Context in the Civil War (2014); and Black Dolls (2022). As a curator, she is dedicated to uncovering the stories of forgotten artists.

EMERITI

Photo: Dion Ogust

Ward L.E. Mintz
Executive Director Emeritus

During his two decades leading the Coby Foundation (2003-2024), Ward Mintz helped to shape the organization’s mission and ensure its commitment to supporting the work of underrepresented artists. Over his tenure, Ward left an indelible mark on the field of textiles and fiber arts, overseeing the distribution of more than $10 million for innovative exhibitions, programs, and publications.

Dr. Leslie Shanken
Chair

Scott I. Fulmer
Vice Chair and Treasurer

Brooke Pickering-Cole
Secretary

Dr. Carol Groneman

Dr. Dominique Jean-Louis

Pam B. Schafler

Ilene Spitzer

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Leslie Shanken
Chair

Scott I. Fulmer
Vice Chair and Treasurer

Brooke Pickering-Cole
Secretary

Ilene Spitzer

Dr. Carol Groneman
.

Dr. Dominique Jean-Louis
.

Pam B. Schafler