School of Fisch
Arline Fisch's Students Speak Out
By Nina Graci

In addition to her own individual achievements, Arline Fisch has had a profound and lasting effect on her students, and her inspiration continues in their work.

Randy Long, Head of the Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design Program, Indiana University in Bloomington.
"In 1971, I placed a note on Arline's door begging her to let me into her class. When she did, she ignited a passion in me for jewelry and metalsmithing. Arline was an incredible mentor and helped her students find their own way, develop ideas and aesthetic. I owe her so much for what I have been able to accomplish in my life; she made my life possible by nurturing me as an artist and as a young person she took under her wing. She was open to students being open to other things, and didn't want to make them into little clones of herself.
"The life she led, teaching and traveling all over the world, had the biggest impact on my life and gave me something to aspire to. It was always obvious that Arline loved her students and she was incredibly devoted to them. She would bring us back postcards, catalogs, and books from her travels in Europe, and this was a major influence in the way my design sensibility developed. She was never afraid to admit she didn't know something and was very gentle with her criticism. When I worked in the studio, I became totally absorbed. Arline would come over and stand by my bench and observe but not interrupt. Every once in a while she would place her hand on my shoulder in an affectionate way, just to let me know she had stopped. That pulls at my heart strings when I think about it."

Charleen Weidell, Assistant Professor of Art, University of Central Oklahoma.
"Arline was my professor from 1997 to 2002 when I was both an undergraduate and graduate student at San Diego State University. One day I was walking past Arline's house in San Diego when she suddenly popped up from behind some shrubs and said, 'I just hate these weeds!' Her knees were wet and she was wearing her yellow rubber gloves, as anyone would while gardening, but it was the large silver brooch she was wearing on her sweater that set her apart. Jewelry is such a part of Arline's life that it even has its place with gardening attire!
"Arline has always been involved in the evolution of the contemporary craft movement and with many others, she has helped to pave a path for the emerging artists in our field. She is a mentor and a friend to me."

Jewelry by Charleen Weidell.

Barbara Berk, G. G., winner 2004 Spectrum Award, American Gem Trade Association.
"I owe it all to Arline. During the three classes I took with Arline, she introduced me to a range of techniques, taught me vocabulary and design concepts, and she passed on her sense of scale. Most importantly, she encouraged me to play and explore. No expectations, no grades.
"In that Fall of 1991, I made many samples using the textile techniques. With copper and silver, magnet wire and silk, I created large four-and-a-half-inch-diameter brooches that I wore to the Tucson gem shows the following February and there discovered serious interest in my work. I founded my company six months later.
"So it was, after a Master's Degree in Russian History and 15 years in magazine publishing, that I found my voice in Arline's classroom.
"Years later, we caught up with each other at the (then) American Craft Museum in New York. How exciting to wander through her retrospective exhibit and see live the work I'd only seen in slides or books -- but how special to have Arline as my 'docent,' discussing each piece, the materials, the structures, the techniques and tools, and, of course, the vision. And how stimulating, challenging and encouraging . . . again!"

Jewelry by Barbara Berk.

Jewelry by Steve Brixner. Top: Ring, sterling, 22K gold, Montana agate, amethyst. Bottom: Bracelet, coiled with decorative stitching, sterling and fine silver.

Steve Brixner, jeweler, San Diego, California.
"Arline was my weaving instructor in the late '60s and she was such a dynamic teacher that I took her jewelry class. She encouraged her students to push boundaries, think big and to do the unusual. Sometimes the results worked, sometimes not, but we always learned something."

Deb Stoner, artist, photographer, jewelry designer, Portland, Oregon.
"In 1985 I took Arline's workshop. I was already a jeweler but she encouraged me to go to grad school. It got me out of a rut and into exploring the roots and history of jewelry, what it has been in the past and what it could be in the future.
"She always questioned what jewelry could become. When I hesitated about traveling, she said flat out: 'Never be beholden to your stuff because it will just bog you down. You just have to let it go. Take the experiences that are offered to you, never be afraid of them.'
"She's definitely a role model and her example of taking living and traveling opportunities taught me how I wanted to live my own life. She showed me the way by living her life. She was always on the way to somewhere.
"One day in 1986, Arline gave the grad students an assignment dealing with vision. What was neat was she didn't have anything in mind, she wanted to see how people would respond to the assignment. Gail Spence created aluminum glasses that were later manufactured and licensed in Denmark and changed the eyewear scene.
"Years later, I too designed eyewear, which if not for Arline's broad vision of what jewelry could be, I never would have thought to do. I went on to create a line of eyeglasses that I became, in some limited way, famous for.

Christina Smith, Assistant Professor, California State University.
"I am very sentimental about Arline. I'm not sure what I would be doing if she hadn't given me direction, so I am very indebted to her. I was working in clay, but her program was a place you wanted to be. Arline always promoted her students at the shows and made sure our work was seen. She's still supportive to this day. She introduced the world of art and exhibition, taught us how to get into shows, and organized shows for us. She invited Bob Ebendorf and Albert Paley to teach and made sure we saw different ways of working. That was her forte."

Jesse Mathes: Insulated copper wire, 24" x 15".
Jesse Mathes: Copper, prismacolor, 48" x 3" x 48".

Jesse Mathes, MSA, Gallery Mathes, Terra Haute, Indiana.
"When I met Arline in 1999 at SDSU, she encouraged us to try out new ideas and materials. Arline helped me get a scholarship to study in Scotland, which made a huge impact on my work because I became interested in Queen Elizabeth's grandeur, how she used large-scale adornment to portray herself as a powerful figure. I began creating pieces inspired by Elizabethan clothing, incorporating the textile techniques in metals that I had learned from Arline. Now all my large sculptural pieces are based on creating power through adornment. Arline helped me overcome my insecurities and gave me self-esteem as an artist. A large part of my confidence in using untraditional materials comes from working with Arline and seeing her fantastic work. She is such a fun person and loves making work so much, and that's inspirational."

This is an addendum to the full-length story, "School of Fisch" in the September 2005 Lapidary Journal.