Cozy Baker, founder of America's first and only kaleidoscope, has written most of the available books on kaleidoscopes and is known and respected by every kaleidoscope artist in the country. She is a member of the Bethesda Branch (Maryland). Cozy's fifth book on kaleidoscopes (1995) is titled Wonder of Wonders. Her latest is Kaleidoscope Artistry (2002). (Cozy comes from her middle name, Cozette.)

Her interest arose as she struggled to recover from the tragedy of losing her youngest son, Randall, to a drunk driver in 1981. She says, "I needed to find a new interest to overcome my sorrow, and I did." She sought to find "a thing of beauty" and did. "There is a spiritual, almost sacred connection when looking into a kaleidoscope," says Baker. "It is like a message of hope as you see each new image formed from the pieces that break apart from what came before. It is almost like divine order."

Cozy started "The Brewster Society" (for Sir David Brewster, who discovered the scientific principle of reflective symmetry from which came his invention of the kaleidoscope in 1816) and has collected 1,000 or more scopes. They take up ten rooms of her house - so far. She began a newsletter which pulled artist and buyers together (now 700 strong), and the society holds an annual three-day convention.

All this has not gone unnoticed in several parts of the world. Most every kaleidoscope artist credits her with providing them with access to a world market. Cozy has been featured in Arts & Antiques magazine. Niche magazine had her on their 2001 list of "20 Who Made a Difference" in the crafts field. The Brewster Society also donates kaleidoscopes to children with AIDS, children's hospitals, the Salvation Army, the International Eye Foundation, cancer clinics, hospice groups, and many other organizations.

These efforts reflect Cozy's belief that the kaleidoscope can have many benefits to people in desperate situations." One of my favorite aspects of the kaleidoscope is its meditative and therapeutic healing dimension," she says. "You would be very hard-pressed to look through a kaleidoscope and find any negativity. It is pure joy." Cozy Baker is living proof of her belief that art can heal the heart.