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Bernard Kester (1928–2018) was an American designer, artist, curator, and writer, known for his pottery and textile design. He was instrumental in the studio craft movement in the United States through his work as a curator and exhibit designer at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and he worked to elevated craft and fiber works to contemporary art found in museums. Kester founded the fiber art program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was named an honorary fellow by the American Craft Council (ACC) in 1980.

Biography

Bernard Kester was born on March 25, 1928, in Salt Lake City, Utah. When he was a young child, the family temporarily moved to Newport Beach, California, followed by a move to Long Beach, California. He started making art in kindergarten.

Kester attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and graduated with a BFA degree and MFA degree.

From 1956 to 1991, he taught at UCLA, starting with ceramics and eventually switched to teaching weaving. Kester founded the fiber art program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Some of Kester’s notable students included Gerhardt Knodel, Maren Hassinger, and Neda Al-Hilali.

Kester worked as a curator and exhibition designer at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He worked to elevated craft and fiber art to contemporary art found in museums. His exhibition design work was included in the show, The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in West Asia, 1256–1353 (2003).

References

1. ^ Goodrich, Beth. "Remembering: Bernard Kester". American Craft Council. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
2. "In memoriam: Bernard Kester, professor who dramatically raised the profile of textile arts in the United States". UCLA. November 5, 2018. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
3. ^ Zaiden, Emily (November 25, 2011). "Bernard Kester". Craft in America. Retrieved 2024-10-19.
4. "What Else Is There To Think About?". The Los Angeles Times. November 18, 2023. ISSN 2165-1736. Retrieved 2024-11-07 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Dressing to the Nines in Vintage Style to Honor Costume Design". The Los Angeles Times. 2000-02-22. ISSN 2165-1736. Retrieved 2024-11-07 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "California: A fabulous finale showing khan-do". The Charlotte Observer. April 27, 2003. ISSN 2331-7221. Retrieved 2024-11-07 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Podcast: Interview of Bernard Kester with Joan Benedetti (2008)

• 1928 births
• 2018 deaths
• 20th-century American artists
• American curators
• American potters
• American textile designers
• Exhibition designers
• University of California, Los Angeles alumni
• University of California, Los Angeles faculty
• Artists from Salt Lake City