“Most of all, I want to remember Anne the artist, the painter of extraordinary ‘inner landscapes’ (as she called them) on canvas, as well as her incredible pencil line drawings that—initially inspired by nature—led her to deeper meaning and introspection.
“This is a quote she made about her life’s work: ‘I fell in love with paint, the purity of the color, the texture, the pleasure of applying the paint to canvas until the final brushstroke.’
“Anne and Jennifer Cooke founded the Flea Market Beautification Committee because Anne couldn’t bear to see how chains tied to the Bethune Street trees by bike owners were destroying the bark and killing the trees. The proceeds from Flea Market sales went to fund the planter boxes on Bethune Street, which I designed and helped build. And that is how I got involved with the small committee of 2 + Al Cooke and Wesley Pollitt, Anne’s husband.
“Her other love besides creating art was with Wesley, her daughter Betsy, her small house in the country and the Flea Market. Along with Jennifer, Anne was kind, calm, and rational, a quietly determined, inspirational leader whom we trusted wholeheartedly. Her example of vision, harmony, and elegant wisdom, I hope can continue in the committee not only in honor and in celebration of her life and work, but most of all in gratitude for how she has touched our lives.”
-Christina Maile, excerpt from email to Beautification Committee, July 2023