Lee Porzio
LEE PORZIO (1913-2004)
Lee was born in Paterson, New Jersey in September 1913 to Italian immigrant parents.
Growing up in nearby Hawthorne, New Jersey, Lee met first husband Angelo di Benedetto, by then a well-known artist in his own right. They married in 1942 while Angelo was serving in the Air Force. In 1946, when he was discharged, they remained in Colorado, where he had been stationed, settling in Central City near Denver. Apparently, Angelo’s years-long obsession with turning a warehouse into a giant art studio created tension in their relationship ending in their divorce.
By 1953, Lee had met Allen Ditson and moved to Arizona; they married in 1954. Once in Arizona, they began building their reputations as artists able to work in various media.
Allen was a sculptor in metal and wood and a furniture designer. Lee was known for her skill as a graphic artist and could execute her designs in clay, oils, fabrics and fibers. Her work was sold at fine galleries nationwide.
Together, their commissions include works of dramatic size and scope in the architectural and commercial field throughout the United States as well as intimate pieces for homes and small offices. Their work adorned numerous banks, offices, restaurants, churches and university buildings all over Phoenix, Arizona.
Lee passed away in Paradise Valley, Arizona in 2004. Allen died in 2007.
Exhibitions:
Syracuse Ceramic National Exhibition, 1948
Art Institute of Chicago, 25th Annual Exhibition by the Society for Contemporary American Art, 1965
Art Institute of Chicago, 26th Annual Exhibition by the Society for Contemporary American Art, 1966
Lee Porzio examining artwork in her home/studio in Scottsdale, Arizona while her mother Filomena helps her with the weaving process. Porzio’s ancestors on her mother’s side were employed by the Royal Families of Italy to create textile works.