Lot #1: Antique Pottery Ships Mast Head Mermaid Siren Sculpture Artist Signed J 0 MEAD 13"

A dynamic and innovative woman, she opened her own interior design studio in 1949. She created a sculpture business, Jo Mead Designs, in her garage that grew into a successful operation that drew commissions from across the nation. The company's eclectic catalog ranged from museum-quality reproductions of ship prows and architectural fragments to cigar store Indians.The business, which Ms. Mead ran from the 1950s to 1980s, was highly respected, had showrooms in every major design trade center in the nation and was written about in leading home and decor magazines, said Faye Wrubel, a longtime friend. Ms. Mead was the subject of an article in the Tribune's Sunday Magazine Fall Fashion Supplement in 1996.Ms. Mead received three national design awards. Her works found their way into homes, hotels, restaurants, movie sets and museums, Wrubel said. Even the Smithsonian Institution has a Jo Mead original--her casting for NASA of the imprint of the original boots Buzz Aldrin wore on his moon walk.