Arline M. Fisch - Denise Bonaimo

Arline M. Fisch: Artist/Jeweler/Author/Professor of Art Emerita SDSU

Arline M. Fisch, Professor of Art Emerita, San Diego State University is an Artist/Jeweler working primarily in precious metals, exhibiting work nationally and internationally. Author of the book, Textile Techniques in Metal, published in 1975, 1996 and 2001, she frequently conducts intensive short-term workshops in the United States and abroad. She has lectured and exhibited widely in North America, Europe, and the Far East and her work is represented in numerous museums and private collections. A major retrospective exhibition and catalog of her work entitled Elegant Fantasy, The Jewelry of Arline Fisch organized by the San Diego Historical Society/Taboo toured museums from 2000-2003 including the Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. and the Museum of Art and Design in New York.

Question #1 What is your highlight Visual art experience from the last year?

#1 "I have been commissioned by the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin to create an installation for a series of 6 large windows which face the street. I have chosen the theme of 'jellyfish' because I am intrigued by their many forms and brilliant colors. I have made various 'families' of jellies, one for each of the windows. These vary dramatically in form with each set a different color. The jellies are fabricated in very small gauges of color-coated copper wire using hand and machine knitting and hand crochet. They are all suspended and will sway using small fans to move them gently. This project will be installed in the first week of August 2008 and will remain on view for 12 months. In March 2009 I will add a new dimension with a series of corals and sea anemones also fabricated by knitting and crochet using the same wires."

Question #2 What is your vision of the future of the Visual arts for San Diego?

#2 "I think there could be more opportunities for temporary installations similar to the 'urban tree' project along the waterfront. Why not have works on view in parks or on business streets or on blank walls (as in the wonderful flowers recently painted on a large wall on Reynard Way). Perhaps there could be more involvement with small businesses in neighborhoods to enhance the ever-present strip malls."