Zoe possessed a unique, absurdist sense of humor from a young age, reflected in her approach to dress-up, favoring for example, a tutu and bow-tie thrown over a pig costume; her drawings: a pastoral image overseen by a wickedly grinning sun who was, for some reason, smoking a cigarette. Zoe had all our numbers. In early adolescence, she especially loved to bait her liberal parents with exaggerated declarations of conservative ideology. This was a girl who went on to become an advocate for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protections, and those most marginalized in our world.

For a college videography project, Zoe was working on a mockumentary inspired by The Lorax, Dr. Seuss’s prescient treatise against environmental destruction. The message of Zoe’s film, however was quite the opposite. Mockumentarian Rosenberg chose to center the perspective of the Onceler, Seuss’s villain who cuts down all the trees, turning them into mass-produced “thneeds,” thanks to sprawling factories wreaking havoc on air, water, and wildlife. Zoe herself played the role of the Onceler, speaking to an unseen journalist with deadpan passion about the embrace of a pure and splendid capitalism unfettered by pesky concerns such as nature, health, and sustainability.

In all seriousness though, Zoe loved animals and wildlife—from our dog, Rico to the misshapen holly trees that flank our front door. She loved pigs. She loved pigeons and the doves who nested in said holly trees. As a creative artist and craftswoman, Zoe loved color, design and fashion. She loved animation, especially Studio Ghibli, which inspired her own work. She loved needlework of all kinds. She had an unmistakable aesthetic that permeated everything she touched: her room, her clothes, her jewelry, perfume bottles, posters, and the countless chachkies she displayed on her shelves. Zoe was a foodie too. The look and presentation of the dishes she loved mattered almost as much as the intricate flavors. She loved to travel, to explore, and especially to shop, browsing through flea markets in Greenwich village, outrageously overpriced boutiques on Martha’s Vineyard, open air markets in Nice, Provence, Tarifa, and Tangier.

Zoe was a relentless debater, always determined to get to the bottom of things and find resolution. She believed in her values, but always listened to opposing views. She always tried to learn and grow. When she changed her mind, she often circled back to make amends with those she’d butted heads with. She had the highest of standards for herself, for her own work, and also for others.

It goes without saying that she will be missed profoundly by those of us who loved her, who survive her, who will continue to speak her name and tell our Zoe stories so that we never forget.