RAMONA SOLBERG-Jeweler, Teacher, Traveler
2000, time:28:13

"I'm willing to put almost anything into a piece of jewelry if I think it works!"

As artist, teacher, author, lecturer and collector, Ramona Solberg is a pioneer in the contemporary jewelry movement and a Living Treasure. Her passionate interest in other cultures and a lifetime spent finding objects of interest in all corners of the map has led her to a distinct and personal style that transcends her modernist background. Rarely using precious materials in her jewelry, Solberg conveys new meaning and value onto a collage of cultural flotsam culled from her travels. Raised in Seattle, with degrees from the University of Washington and study abroad in Norway and Mexico, Ramona Solberg places a high value on her career as a teacher. An important aspect of her legacy will be the many artists of significance who count her as inspiration, influence and mentor.

Beginning as an art teacher in Seattle Public Schools, she later served on the faculties of Central Washington University and the University of Washington. Retired from the University of Washington in 1983, she still teaches and lectures in workshops around the nation.

Ramona Solberg's work can be found in the collection of the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Museum of Contemporary Craft, and many other museums and private collections. She is a Fellow and Trustee Emeritus of the American Craft Council, and past recipient of the Washington State Governor's Art Award.

This documentary profile is second in the Living Treasures video series, sponsored and produced by the Northwest Designer Craftsmen. Living Treasures documents the work, philosophy and achievements of some of the Northwest's most venerable and influential artisans and crafts advocates.