Biography
Renowned jewelry artist and academic Rebecca Strzelec is Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Programs at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design. Strzelec has operational oversight of undergraduate programs and provides executive-level leadership on key initiatives that advance the vision and mission of the Stamps School.
Before joining Stamps, Strzelec served on the Penn State Altoona faculty for 21 years as Distinguished Professor of Visual Arts, where she co-designed Penn State Altoona’s Visual Art Studies degree program. Strzelec was also a Penn State Alumni Teaching Fellow and the 2016-2017 Penn State Laureate. As part of her professional work, Strzelec served as the Chair of the SIGGRAPH 2012 conference. The annual event brought over 21,000 people connected to computer graphics and interactive techniques to Los Angeles.
A practicing artist known for her evocative work with Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM, Strzelec earned her BFA and MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Her often narrative work consists of wearable objects created via 3D modeling, 3D printing, LASER cutting, sewing, and other methods. Strzelec’s work has been featured in exhibitions in the US and abroad, including her latest solo exhibition entitled 365 Grams at the Baltimore Jewelry Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Other recent exhibitions include:
- Missed Connections, Art Produce Gallery (San Diego, CA).
- High Low High, Heidi Lowe Gallery (Lewes, DE).
- Tincal Challenge 2022: Jewelry and Literature, Tincal Lab. The exhibition was first installed in Porto, Portugal, and traveled to Bucharest, Romania; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Rome, Italy.
- Plan B Art Project, a traveling abortion access-themed exhibition raising funds for Planned Parenthood curated by Shauna Burke. Little D Gallery (Oklahoma City, OK), Rebecca Meyer’s Gallery (Baltimore, MD), Gallery I/O (New Orleans, LA), Robert Goodman Gallery (Zion, IN), Salt Hill Gallery (Fargo, ND), and Graver’s Lane Gallery (Chestnut Hill, PA).
Strzelec’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, Fuller Craft Museum, and Racine Art Museum, and the private collection of the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
You can see more of Strzelec’s work on her website and her Instagram account.