Arline Fisch (born August 21, 1931) is an American artist and educator. She is known for her work as a metalsmith and

jeweler A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmith, Goldsmith, stone setting, engraving, fabrica ...

, pioneering the use of textile processes from crochet, knitting, plaiting, and

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

in her work in metal. She developed groundbreaking techniques for incorporating metal wire and other materials into her jewelry.

Learning

Arline Fisch was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on August 21, 1931 and grew up in New York. She first was taught to sew by her mother, and made many of her own clothes. Her father later gave her lessons at Singer Sewing as a gift so that she and her mother would stop arguing about sewing. Fisch also picked up a passion for bright colors from her father, who loved red. Fisch studied at

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a Private school, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Scien ...

, receiving her B.S. in Art in 1952. She received her M.A. in Art in 1954 from the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

, where she took classes in metalworking with Arthur J. Pulos. After teaching drawing, painting, and design for two years at Wheaton College, she traveled to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Denmark, on a Fulbright Grant to study

silversmithing A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary grea ...

. While there she was able to work in a large jewelry workshop at Bernhard Hertz Guldvaerefabrik, to develop her technical skills. She received three additional Fulbright grants, one to conduct further research in Denmark and two to lecture in Austria and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. She also attended and has taught at

Haystack Mountain School of Crafts Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, commonly called "Haystack," is a craft school located at 89 Haystack School Drive on the coast of Deer Isle, Maine. History Haystack was founded in 1950 by a group of craft artists in the Belfast, Maine area, ...

where she was introduced to weaving by

Jack Lenor Larsen Jack Lenor Larsen (August 5, 1927 – December 22, 2020) was an American textile designer, author, collector and promoter of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship. Through his career he was noted for bringing fabric patterns and textiles to ...

and Ted Hallman. By the 1960s she was beginning to "incorporate weaving in her jewelry" and think about "structuring metal in woven forms". While in Denmark on her second Fulbright in 1966, she spent part of her time studying chasing at the Goldsmiths’ School (Guldsmedehøjskolen) in Copenhagen.

Teaching

Fisch has taught at Wheaton College (1954–1956), Skidmore College (1957–1961), and

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

(1961–2000). Fisch founded the San Diego State University program in Jewelry and Metalsmithing in 1961. She retired in 2000, becoming Professor Emerita of Art at San Diego State University.

Metalworking

Arline Fisch is best known for the way she handles metal in her pieces. She works with thin wire to create forms that have been manipulated in similar ways to knitted, woven or braided fabric. Fisch has exhibited extensively all over the world in group shows and solo exhibitions. Her book, ''Textile Techniques in Metal for Jewelers, Textile Artists and Sculptors'', is a demonstration of the techniques she developed while trying to combine the textures of

with a metal material. She has stated that jewelry of ancient cultures is a continued reference and inspiration for her work. In the exhibition ''American Metal Work, 1976'' at the

Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery The Sheldon Museum of Art is an art museum in the city of Lincoln, in the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. Its collection focuses on 19th- and 20th-century art. History Sheldon Art Association In 1888, The Sheldon Art Assoc ...

, her sterling silver ''Hat'' was described as equally suited to a Byzantine princess, a modern bridal costume or an evening dress. Her exhibit ''Creatures from the Deep'' created an underwater world of floating sea creatures, jellyfish, corals and sea anemones, knitted and crocheted from wire. Versions of this work were installed in 2008 at the

Racine Art Museum The Racine Art Museum (RAM) and RAM's Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts are located in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. The museum holds the largest and most significant contemporary craft collection in North America, with more than 9,500 objects fro ...

, in 2011 at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and in 2013 at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco.

Education

*1952 B.S. in Art,

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

*1954 M.A. in Art,

*1956–57 Danish School of Arts and Crafts,

*1957 Bernhard Hertz Guldvaerefabrik, Copenhagen *1959

Liberty, Maine Liberty is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 934 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. The largest water ...

*1964 School for American Craftsmen,

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

*1966–67

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

and Apprentice School for Gold and Silversmiths, Copenhagen *1969 private study, Gabrielsen's Guldsmedie,

Kolding Kolding () is a Danish seaport located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre, and has numerous industrial companie ...

, Denmark *1970 private study, Gilian Packard and Company, London, England *1971 private study, Stig Berg's Solvzmedie, Copenhagen, Denmark

Honors and awards

*1956 Fulbright Research Grant *1966 Fulbright Research Grant to Denmark *1975 National Endowment for the Arts Craftsman's Fellowship *1977 NEA Craftsman's Apprentice Grant *1979 NEA Craftsman's Workshop Grant (Project Director) *1981 NEA Services to the Field Project Grant *1982 Fulbright Grant, Lecturer, Vienna, Austria *1985 Declared a "Living Treasure of California" by Resolution of California State Assembly *1986 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY *CSU Award for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity *1989 Fulbright Grant, Lecturer, Montevideo, Uruguay *1990 Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise Award, SDSU *1994 Lifetime Achievement in the Crafts Award,

National Museum of Women in the Arts The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openin ...

, Washington, D.C. *1996 Outstanding Professor, San Diego State University *2000, Distinguished Educator's Award, James Renwick Alliance *2001 Gold Medal,

American Craft Council The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national non-profit organization that champions craft based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb, the council hosts national craft shows and conferences, publishes a quarterly mag ...

*2002 Honorary

Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

, Skidmore College *2003, Masters of the Medium, for Metal/Jewelry, James Renwick Alliance *2006, Fellowship award,

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

in support of her creative work *2012, Distinguished Woman Artist for 2012, Fresno Art Museum Council Of 100, with the exhibition, "In the Garden of Delight: Adornments by Arline Fisch," as a celebration.

Professional

*Founding Member, (1969); president (1982-1985) *Craftsman-Trustee, American Crafts Council (1972–1975) *Board of Trustees,

, Deer Isle, Maine (1973–1982; 1991–2000) *Vice President for North America,

World Crafts Council The World Crafts Council AISBL (WCC-AISBL) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was founded in 1964 to promote fellowship, foster economic development through income generating craft related activities, organize exchange programs, wor ...

(1976–1981) *Fellow of the American Crafts Council, Class of 1979 *Trustee, American Craft Council, (1994-2000)

Publications

* (English & German Edition: Stuttgart: Arnoldsche.) * *

Collections

* Kunstindustrimuseet, Oslo, Norway * Museum of Fine Arts, Boston *Museum of Applied Art, Trondheim, Norway *

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 ...

, New York City *

National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto The is an art museum in Kyoto, Japan. This Kyoto museum is also known by the English acronym MoMAK (Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto). History The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (MoMAK) was initially created as the Annex Museum of the Nationa ...

, Japan *

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, and the adjacent Royal Scottish Museum (opened in ...

, Edinburgh, Scotland *

, Wisconsin *

Renwick Gallery The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum located in Washington, D.C. that displays American craft and decorative arts from the 19th to 21st century. The gallery is housed in a National Historic Landmark building that ...

of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. * Vatican Museum, Rome *

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, London

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisch, Arline 1931 births Living people American metalsmiths Women metalsmiths Wheaton College (Massachusetts) faculty Artists from Brooklyn Skidmore College alumni University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts alumni Skidmore College faculty San Diego State University faculty 20th-century American artists 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists American women academics