Harriete Estel Berman

Bio

Education

1980 M.F.A. Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.
Major: Metalsmithing
Minor: Fiber
Awards: Temple University Tuition Scholarship

1974 B.F.A. Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Major: Metalsmithing
Minor: Fiber
Awards: Outstanding Metalsmithing Ives Scholarship

Work

"My work begins with post-consumer material diverted from a destiny as trash. Revitalized from the mundane, these recycled tin containers are deconstructed, cut, folded and reassembled into the extraordinary. This metal may not be as precious as gold or silver, but in many ways reveals more about the values of our society. Does value exist within the craftsmanship, by who made it, or by what materials are used? Or is value created through mass-marketing and mass-consumption?"

I am mainly interested in her Grass series, and the idea of constructing representations of natural objects with obviously recycled metals.  It might be an interesting thing to experiment with in photoshop that may or may not add more depth to my images. 

Harriete Estel Berman

Museum of Contemporary Craft

Audio Interview