Artist Terry Berlier stopped by SCAD Atlanta on Jan. 21 to share her creative process with students, staff and visitors.
Berlier’s work, which includes sculptures, installations, video and drawings, has been displayed all over the U.S. and the world from Barcelona to Tel Aviv. Among her many accolades, she was awarded the Visions from the New California Residency for 2009 at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. She holds an MFA in Studio Art from University of California, Davis and a BFA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
A part of the Visiting Artists Lecture Series, Berlier’s presentation featured a slideshow of some of her pieces on exhibit, such as “Guitarfather Clock,” “Fellini Bike,” and her ongoing drawing series titled “Things Fall Apart,” which is based on her own mathematical formulas.
The lecture garnered positive responses.
“[It was] very informative and I can see all the work going into one finished piece,” said Danny Ashby, a third-year sculpture major.
Berlier said most works start with found objects from everyday life, usually from a thrift store. From there, it’s all about experimenting with the pieces. She said the objects in her art have “left their original purpose behind” to become something else within her artwork.
Some lecture attendees took note of other elements Berlier incorporates in work.
“It’s nice to see an artist using a lot of technology in their work,” said Duncan Shirah, a third-year sculpture major.
By incorporating technology the artist encourages interaction between the viewer and the artwork.
“Her work is very fresh,” said Yi-Hsin Tzeng, a recent SCAD graduate. “It’s young and different from other artists that visited the school.”