Meghan Bachman wrote an obituary about our friend, René J. Cigler, who died in August. She will be missed.
PORTLAND, OR — René J. Cigler, died August 4, 2008
Born December 16, 1966, Cleveland, OH. René's childhood sounded like a happy one, she was a tomboy and had a penchant for adventure and making things with her hands. In reading the notes posted to an online memorial page for her, there were a many from people who knew her as a child, all recalling memories of her artwork. After high school she went to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. This led to a successful career in creating characters and art for companies like American Greetings, Mattel Toys, Hasbro/Oddzon, managing toy development for feature films and animation for Star Wars, Nickelodeon, Grinch, Godzilla, Scooby Doo, Harry Potter, and many more. 
Since 1989 René exhibited her work at galleries and museums including at the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art; Power House Gallery, Cleveland; Four Color Image Gallery, NYC; Dead Horse Gallery, Cleveland, to name a few. Her adornment sculptures were featured at fashion shows at the Limelight in NYC in 1991, The Metropolis Club, Cleveland in 1993, The Theater Artaud, San Francisco in 1993 and the Yerba Buena Center for Cultural Arts, San Francisco, in 1992. These new works, combining aluminum, metal, rubber, wire, washers, screws and found objects, were seen by tens of thousands when they were worn onstage by René's dancers as visual suport for the band Ministry during the Lollapalooza tour in 1992. In 1994 her wearable sculptures were worn by the lead actress as well as supporting actors in the MGM feature film, Tank Girl. Her work was also featured in the 1993 Warner Brothers feature film, Demolition Man. Her sculptures and wearable art were also featured in videos for Nine Inch Nails, The Melvins, Alice Cooper, Filter and the Eels.
Many first heard of René through a feature article written about her in 1992 in Heavy Metal magazine. The article was 6 pages long featuring sculptures and costumes that she made. Through the years René often met fans of her work who had held onto that issue of Heavy Metal for upwards of 16 years. Not only did her work speak to a common theme many were feeling in the early '90s – the attraction to industrial culture and dreams of a post-apacalytpic utopia – but it was inspirational in it's juxtaposition of beautiful things and decaying things, sharp metal dangerous looking things and soft plush pliable things. Her wearable art was also featured in a 6-page layout in Penthouse magazine. Her long list of media credits also include Cleveland Magazine, bOING bOING, Axcess Magazine, Quick Japan, Bonesaw, Net Chick and Gothic Beauty Magazine.
René started her own company Inkmonster in 2000 with partner Cameron Smith. Inkmonster is a design house that creates graphic brands and characters and licenses them to manufacturers to put them on products such as apparel, stationery, greeting cards etc. Character lines that René has generated are Sugar Hiccup, Lil She Creatures, Ultra Vixen, Miss Kitty, and Bone Kitty. Then in 2003 came the creation of Strange Monster, René and Cameron's apparel company. A definitive success, Strange Monster apparel and products are sold at hundreds of stores worldwide.
René's professional and artistic achievements are striking – she never sat still, always using her brain, making art, designing, running her business as well as making time to support local artists, bands and clubs. As a friend, she was ever-supportive and encouraging, pushing people around her to be better people, to excel and achieve. Naturally inquisitive, René took the time to know everything about a person, her excitement and enthusiasm were contagious. Sweet and gentle, lively and beautiful, just being near her, privy to her thoughts and ideas, was infusive and inspiring.
Life is short, and shortly it will end… René lived her life as if each day was new and exciting, she was still the tomboy of her childhood, looking out through the eyes of an inquisitive little girl with blond pigtails. Her sketches, sculptures and designs were like memento mori, reminding us all that death will come, but to have fun while still among the living.
Surviving are her long-time partner-in-crime and love, Cameron Smith ( and kitty Sashimi), her mother and father Evelyn and Robert Cigler and her sister Barbara Zivitch. René has left a considerable mark in the hearts of so many people – friends and family who loved her dearly, and all the people who were ever touched by her work, and who have yet to be.
Private services were held in Ohio August 11th. Memorial date in Portland TBA.
More of her artwork is up here.
