Florence Lisa Resnikoff ( Herman; 1920–2013) was an American artist and educator in the fields of

metals A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

and

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western ...

Early life and education

Florence Lisa Herman was born in 1920 in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, Texas. She began making jewelry in 1948 while attending the Ox-Bow Summer School of Painting, affiliated with the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

, in

Saugatuck, Michigan Saugatuck is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 865 at the 2020 census. The city is within Saugatuck Township, but is administratively autonomous. Originally a lumber town and port, Saugatuck, along w ...

. In 1951, she was a founding member of the Metal Arts Guild of San Francisco, an organization led by

Margaret De Patta Margaret De Patta ('' née'' Strong; 1903–1964) was an American jewelry designer and educator, active in the mid-century jewelry movement. Early life and education She was born in 1903 in Tacoma, Washington, and grew up in San Diego, Califo ...

. She received her

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

(B.F.A.) degree in 1967 in sculpture from the

California College of Arts and Crafts California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

(now California College of the Arts); and an M.A. degree in 1973 from

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

. She had studied under Bob Winston at the California College of Arts and Crafts.

Career

Resnikoff's early designs were cast or constructed designs that followed the principles of the modernistsmaterials and function defined the character of the piece. However, unlike the modernists, she rejected simplicity and often added embellishments, ornaments, and bright colors. She developed as an artist, mastering different techniques such as

electroforming Electroforming is a metal forming process in which parts are fabricated through Electrophoretic deposition, electrodeposition on a model, known in the industry as a mandrel. Conductive (metallic) mandrels are treated to create a mechanical parting ...

anodizing Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called ''anodizing'' because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electro ...

, ''

plique-à-jour ''Plique-à-jour'' (French for "letting in daylight") is a vitreous enamelling technique where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to cloisonné, but with no backing in the final product, so light can shine through the transparent or trans ...

'', ''keum-boo'', and ''

mokume-gane is a Japanese metalworking procedure which produces a mixed-metal laminate with distinctive layered patterns; the term is also used to refer to the resulting laminate itself. The term translates closely to "wood grain metal" or "wood eye metal" ...

'', working with gold, silver, platinum, pewter, copper, bronze, titanium, and niobium. She used these different techniques to pursue her lifelong interest in color, employing enamel, patinas, cast resins and more to expand her palette. Her unusual combinations of metals and gemstones are a defining characteristic of her work. In the mid-1960s, Resnikoff became interested in other metals and larger forms, leading her to undergo formal training in sculpture. While her jewelry was gaining notoriety, appearing in many shows across the country, Resnikoff moved away from working with precious stones and pursued her development as a metalsmith. After moving back to California in 1965, she resumed her education, and received a fellowship from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

to study

techniques and their application to jewelry and metalsmithing. This led her to concentrate more on metal in combinations with bronze, silver, and copper. In 1973, Resnikoff began teaching at the California College of Arts and Crafts in the Jewelry Metal Arts Program, becoming Program Head in 1980. She retired as Professor Emerita in 1989.

Work

Resnikoff's work can be found in the permanent collections of the

City and County of San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, the

Oakland Museum of California The Oakland Museum of California or OMCA (formerly the Oakland Museum) is an interdisciplinary museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California, located adjacent to Oak Street, 10th Street, and 11th Street in Oakland, Cali ...

, the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

, and the

Museum of Arts and Design The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), based in Manhattan, New York City, collects, displays, and interprets objects that document contemporary and historic innovation in craft, art, and design. In its exhibitions and educational programs, the mus ...

in New York.

Teaching

Resnikoff taught at

California College of the Arts California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996 it opened a second campus in San ...

, where she was head of the metal arts program, from 1977 to 1989.

Personal life

Resnikoff was married to her husband, George J. Resnikoff, for 50 years before he died in 1994. The family moved in the 1950s to

Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was estab ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She has one son, Carl Resnikoff.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Resnikoff, Florence 1920 births 2013 deaths American jewellers American jewelry designers California College of the Arts faculty 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American women sculptors American women academics 21st-century American women Women jewellers Artists from Palo Alto, California