Helen Shirk

Helen Shirk (b. 1942 in Buffalo, NY) is a metalsmith/jeweler and educator. She is known for her large richly colored copper vessels that draw on the power and diversity of the natural world for inspiration and meaning.

She is currently Professor of Art Emerita at San Diego State University. She studied with Earl Pardon at Skidmore College (BA, 1963) and Alma Eikerman at Indiana University (MFA, 1969). Her work can be found in many public collections, among them the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, National Museum of Modern Art (Kyoto), Victoria and Albert Museum, National Gallery of Australia, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Oakland Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.