Fred Fenster

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Fred Fenster
Born1934
Bronx, New York City, New York
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCity College of New York, Cranbrook Academy of Art
'Chalice' by Fred Fenster, ca. 1976[1]

Fred Fenster (born 1934) is a metalsmith and professor emeritus of the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he taught art and education.[2][3][4] He is particularly known for his work in pewter,[5] influencing generations of metalsmiths.[6] Fenster was named a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 1995.[7]

Career[edit]

Fenster received his B.S. in industrial arts from City College of New York in 1956. After teaching industrial arts in the Bronx[8] he went to Cranbrook Academy of Art where he worked with Richard Thomas.[9] His fellow students included Stanley Lechtzin, Michael Jerry,[6] and Brent Kington.[9] He received his M.F.A. in metalsmithing from Cranbrook in 1960.[6][8] He spent the summer of 1960 working at the Rochester Institute of Technology with Hans Christensen.[9] He then worked for Roger Berlin[9] in a company doing silversmithing and industrial fabrication,[2]

In 1961 Fenster became a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.[2] After more than 40 years at Madison, he became a professor emeritus in 2005.[10] Fenster lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.[10][6]

Fenster is a colleague and friend of Eleanor Moty. Their works were featured together in the exhibition and accompanying catalogue Metalsmiths and Mentors: Fred Fenster and Eleanor Moty (2006) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a founding member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).[8]

Work[edit]

As a metalsmith, Fenster is influenced by the simplicity of Scandinavian design.[2] Fenster makes objects that are both beautiful and usable,[2] including jewelry, holloware, and flatware, using gold, silver, copper, and pewter. He is often commissioned to make Judaica and liturgical objects such as Kiddush cups. Fenster uses scoring and bending techniques to create elegant three-dimensional forms with clean, graceful lines.[6]

“There’s nothing sophisticated about the techniques I’m using. I’m working with the time-honored techniques of hammering, hammering, hammering, and then fabricating the parts that are hammered to shape. But sometimes the results are a little unusual.” --Fred Fenster[8]

Awards[edit]

  • 1984, American Pewter Guild award[2]
  • 1995, Fellow of the American Craft Council[7]
  • 1999, Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award[11]
  • 2002, Hans Christensen Sterling Silversmiths Award, Society of American Silversmiths[12]
  • 2004, Renwick Alliance Award for Excellence in Teaching[13]
  • 2005, Gold Medal, American Craft Council[10]
  • 2011, Master Metalsmith, Metal Museum, Memphis, Tennessee[10]
  • 2015, Lifetime Achievement Award, Society of North American Goldsmiths[14]

Museums[edit]

Fenster's works are in collections including the Detroit Institute of Arts,[15] Minnesota Museum of Art,[1] National Ornamental Metal Museum,[13] National Museum of American Art, Renwick Gallery,[14] Smithsonian Institution,[2] Yale University Art Gallery, and the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Geske, Norman (1976). American Metal Work, 1976. Lincoln, NE: Sheldon Museum of Art Catalogues and Publications. 95. p. 13. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Fred Fenster". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  3. ^ Clowes, Jody; Fenster, Fred; Moty, Eleanor (2006). Metalsmiths and Mentors: Fred Fenster and Eleanor Moty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, WI: Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
  4. ^ Yager, Jan (2004). "Oral history interview with Fred Fenster, 2004 August 9-10". Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Contemporary Pewter Fred Fenster – Sun Prairie, WI" (PDF). Thirteenth Annual Northwest Jewelry & Metals Symposium: Along the Rim of Fire. 2008. p. 8. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d e Friedlich, Donald (2005). "Studio Visit - Fred Fenster". Metalsmith Magazine (Winter). Ganoksin Jewelry Making Community. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b "College of Fellows". American Craft Council. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Garcia, Brooke (16 September 2018). "Inside the Collection: Fred Fenster". Metal Museum. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d Hurley, F. Jack (1986). "Fred Fenster: Function and Ceremony in Pewter and Silver - Ganoksin Jewelry Making Community". Metalsmith Magazine. No. Fall. Ganoksin. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d "Fred Fenster". American Craft Council. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Fred Fenster". Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Awards. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Society of American Silversmiths - 2002 Award Winner: Fred Fenster". www.silversmithing.com. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Fenster, Fred". Metal Museum. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Society of North American Goldsmiths (2 March 2015). "2015 SNAG Lifetime Achievement Award, Fred Fenster". Society of North American Goldsmiths. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Art: Collection Search : Fred Fenster". Detroit Institute of Arts. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
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