(husband)
Deborah Trilling
(gallery director)
I t ’s e a s y t o im a g in e w h y . T h e
m e d i u m is l o a d e d w i t h a s s o c ia -
t i o n s , m a n y v i v i d l y f u s e d t o e l e -
m e n t a r y s c h o o l y e a r s : F r e s h l y
s h a r p e n e d p e n c ils l i n e d u p in a
d e s k ; t h e N 0 . 2 y o u n e e d t o fill
in b u b b l e s o n a t e s t ; b u t a ls o t h e
p u r e , s im p le le a r n in g p r o c e s s -
t h e f r e e d o m t o m a k e m i s t a k e s ,
e r a s e , a n d t r y a g a in .
P i c k U p T o u r P e n c i l s , B e g i n
a s k s u s t o c o n s id e r w h i c h w a y
w e ’r e h e a d e d . “ R e a l c r e a tiv i ty
a n d p r o b le m s o lv in g a r e t h e
f u t u r e , ” B e r m a n d e c la r e s . “ N e w
t e c h n o lo g i e s , n e w id e a s - t h a t
t a k e s c r e a t i v i t y a n d p r o b le m s o lv -
in g .” Y e t th o s e a r e c o n c e p ts a n d
s k ills n o t e a s ily ta u g h t th r o u g h
in c r e a s in g ly s t r u c t u r e d , b y - th e -
b o o k c u r r ic u lu m .
“ W h a t w e n e e d t o t h i n k a b o u t
is h o w a r t c a n a d d r e s s c r e a t i v i t y
i n t h e s c h o o ls a n d h o w i t c a n b e
p a r t o f th i s d is c u s s io n r a t h e r t h a n
b e i n g d is m i s s e d . W h a t c a n I s a y ?
T h a t ’s w h y I m a d e t h e p ie c e .”
+
h a r r i e t e - e s t e l - b e r m a n . i n f o
(art student and “pencil
driller par excellence”)
J u l i e K . H a n u s i s
A m e r i c a n
C r a f t Ï
s e n i o r e d i t o r .
dec/jani2 american craft 039
Above: “Implementation
gets down to some nitty-
gritty stuff,” Berman
says. “Like sharpening
pencils for hours. Or
drilling every hole.”
Right: Some participants
who helped Berman
instantly grasped the
technique. Here the art-
ist works with a young
student at her home.
c o m p l y w i t h t h e c u r r i c u l u m
a n d t h e a s s e s s m e n t s . T h e r e ’s
t h i s s t r u c t u r e t h a t g o e s a ll t h e
w a y f r o m t h e t o p t o t h e b o t t o m
o f t h e s c h o o l s y s t e m , ” s h e s a y s .
“ I t a f f e c t s e v e r y t h i n g o n a d a i ly
b a s i s , a n d p a r e n t s k n o w i t . ”
B e r m a n , w h o c o m p l e t e d
P e n c i l s
t h i s p a s t A u g u s t , b e g a n
b u il d in g t h e f i r s t s t a n i n e in 2 0 0 8 ,
t h r e a d i n g m o n o f i l a m e n t f is h in g
li n e t h r o u g h h o le s s h e h a d d r il le d
i n t h e p e n c i l s , in t h e l o b b y o f a
h o t e l h o s t i n g a C a l i f o r n i a a r t s
e d u c a t o r s c o n f e r e n c e w h e r e s h e
w a s a s p e a k e r . O v e r t h e y e a r s ,
s h e c o n t i n u e d t o e n g a g e t h e
p u b l i c , t a k i n g t h e p e n c i l s t o t h e
2 0 1 0 M a k e r F a i r e in S a n M a t e o
a n d s t r a i g h t i n t o c l a s s r o o m s .
“ S t u d e n t s l o v e , l o v e , l o v e d
i t - to t a ll y r e s p o n d e d t o t h e p e n -
c ils j u s t a s a v i s u a l , ” s h e s a y s .
ill Shelander
