Crafting Value and Identity: Artist Talk with Harriete Estel Berman

Join us for a virtual discussion with artist Harriete Estel Berman on Friday, January 21 at 12pm PST. Berman pushes the boundaries of jewelry making by using found and recycled materials to address social issues. She states, “I use the humblest of materials taken from the waste stream of our society to examine the values of our society.” Berman is featured in the JEWELRY episode of Craft in America’s PBS documentary series.

This talk is presented in conjunction with the Craft in America Center exhibition, Jewelry and Harmony: Highlights From The Episode, on view through March 19, 2022.

Included in the exhibition is a window installation of Berman’s Black Plastic Gyre Necklace (2018) and Black Plastic Bracelet (2012) surrounded by black plastic takeout containers, utensils, and other items. Berman is spotlighting the urgent need to eliminate the use of black plastic, as it cannot be recycled and instead ends up in landfills.

To donate your used black plastic to the installation, swing by the Craft in America Center during our open hours. Note: all plastic must be sanitized before donating. If you have any questions, please email center@craftinamerica.org.

Artist Bio

Harriete Estel Berman is an American artist and sculptor whose work has been shown throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa. Since 1988, she has been using post-consumer, recycled materials to create jewelry, Judaica, and sculpture. She has a B.F.A. in Metalsmithing from Syracuse University, and a M.F.A. from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. Between undergraduate and graduate school, she worked doing jewelry repair for many years. After graduate school, she continued working in silver repair and restoration at Peninsula Plating.

Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY, Detroit Institute of Arts, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH, The Jewish Museum, New York, NY, Jewish Museum, Berlin, Germany, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, Oakland Museum of California, Racine Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC.

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