A Scientist in American Life

Joan Steiner was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. After receiving degrees at Barnard College and the University of Chicago, she began her art career by creating one-of-a-kind wearable art pieces. She was the illustrator and creator of the Look-Alikes series. Her first book, Look-Alikes, was published in 1998. The book, and the other books in the series, featured three-dimensional collages that turned everyday objects like razors, coffeepots, or vegetables into everyday scenes such as a train station, city street, general store, park, and zoo. Her other works include Look-Alikes Jr., Look-Alikes Christmas, and Look-Alikes Around the World. She won numerous art and design awards including a Society of Illustrators Award and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She died of cancer on September 8, 2010.

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