Karen Bachmann is a Professor of Art & Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She has an MA in Art History from SUNY Purchase and a BFA in Sculpture & Metals from Pratt Institute. With over 25 years of experience creating fine jewelry, including several years on staff at Tiffany & Co., she has exhibited her own work globally. Her interest in obscure and arcane forms of personal ornamentation lead to her fascination for mourning jewelry, which is the basis of her thesis on memento mori and Victorian hairwork jewelry. She is currently working on a book exploring these themes.
Website: www.karenbachmanndesigns.com
Professor Bachmann currently teaches:
HJD 032: Jewelry Design Studio II
Teaching Philosophy:
I believe in the exploration of materials combined with solid, finely attuned working techniques. Jewelry and small object design is a journey through which we can take everything from metals and gemstones to plastic, wood, and found objects and find our creative expression.
On Precollege Programs:
The Precollege Program at FIT is a fantastic opportunity to work with some of the best industry professionals in our given fields and to learn from out rich and varied experiences. The energy of the classroom is a dynamic experience that is shared by student and professor alike. I encourage students to explore a variety of materials, both traditional and non-traditional, in order to best actualize their individual designs.
Industry Experience:
I have over 30 years of industry experience, ranging from working on staff at Tiffany & Co as a special order/custom jeweler to creating and selling my own branded line. In January, 2015, I gave a lecture/tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in support of their show “Death Becomes Her” on Victorian mourning jewelry.
Examples of artwork created by Porfessor Bachmann:
