Amy Zerner

Amy Zerner

Amy Zerner was born in Teaneck, New Jersey in 1951 to a family of artists. Her maternal grandfather, Clayton Spicer, was a landscape painter, while her mother, Jessie Spicer Zerner, illustrated children's books. From an early age, Zerner was involved in making her own art, including collages created from natural materials found in the woods near her childhood home. In 1967, Zerner's family moved to East Hampton, New York. By 1969, she had already begun to design and sew her own clothes, inspired by the local counter-cultural art scene. After graduating from East Hampton High School in 1969, she enrolled in the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to study art. By 1974, she had begun studying at the School of Visual Arts and had moved into designing theatrical props under the guidance of Tony Walton, including the premiere Broadway run of Chicago. She has also designed clothing and jewelry for Bergdorf Goodman and celebrity clients.