Becca Bernstein
Encyclopedia
Becca Bernstein is an American
artist. She lives and paints in Oregon
and Scotland
.
and studied at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City
. She survived two near-fatal car accidents in the summer of 2000, recovering fully from spinal and internal injuries.
Bernstein’s art typically addresses issues of community and the "awkward dance of human interdependence." She has also worked closely with residents of senior care homes in Oregon and Scotland, which she says has led her to explore as an artist human relationships in the contemporary age.
Bernstein was selected by Southwest Art Magazine in 2008 as one of 21 emerging artists to watch. She won the Kimberley Gales Emerging Artist Award in 2005, the Lake Oswego Public Art Award in 2007, and the George George Sugarman Foundation Grant (The George Sugarman Foundation
) in 2007 for socially conscious artists. Her work can be found in the public collections of the City of Lake Oswego, Oregon
, the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
, the Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts, the Oregon Ballet Theater
, and the Grace Institute
, New York. She is represented by galleries in Portland, Oregon, Park City, Utah
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
, and Aberdeen
, Scotland. Bernstein is best known for her paintings, particularly of elderly subjects, but she also earned a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council
for her 2008 conceptual installation in Portland. She is mentioned in Art in America
magazine for her awards.
Her work focuses on human relationships, family, and aging, often using unconventional materials like patchwork quilt
s and slate
tiles. She explores issues of human fragility and strength. In her 2008 artist's statement for an installation she wrote:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist. She lives and paints in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Life and work
Becca Bernstein graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and studied at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She survived two near-fatal car accidents in the summer of 2000, recovering fully from spinal and internal injuries.
Bernstein’s art typically addresses issues of community and the "awkward dance of human interdependence." She has also worked closely with residents of senior care homes in Oregon and Scotland, which she says has led her to explore as an artist human relationships in the contemporary age.
Bernstein was selected by Southwest Art Magazine in 2008 as one of 21 emerging artists to watch. She won the Kimberley Gales Emerging Artist Award in 2005, the Lake Oswego Public Art Award in 2007, and the George George Sugarman Foundation Grant (The George Sugarman Foundation
The George Sugarman Foundation
The George Sugarman Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 to honor the memory and wishes of George Sugarman.-History:...
) in 2007 for socially conscious artists. Her work can be found in the public collections of the City of Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
, the Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center is a community-based arts center located in Northeast Portland, Oregon, United States.The IFCC was founded in 1982 by Portland's first Afircan American elected official, Commissioner Charles Jordan...
, the Northwest Business for Culture and the Arts, the Oregon Ballet Theater
Oregon Ballet Theater
Oregon Ballet Theatre is a ballet company in Portland, Oregon, United States.- History :The company is the result of the 1989 merger of Ballet Oregon and Pacific Ballet Theater...
, and the Grace Institute
Grace Institute
The nonprofit Grace Institute is dedicated to providing tuition-free education and training in business and administrative skills to economically disadvantaged women, along with the personal skills necessary for self-sufficiency, employability, and an improved quality of life.-Founding:In 1897,...
, New York. She is represented by galleries in Portland, Oregon, Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, and Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Scotland. Bernstein is best known for her paintings, particularly of elderly subjects, but she also earned a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council
Regional Arts & Culture Council
The Regional Arts & Culture Council is an agency that oversees arts activity throughout the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It was established as an independent 501 nonprofit organization in 1995, replacing a bureau that had been shared by the City of Portland and Multnomah...
for her 2008 conceptual installation in Portland. She is mentioned in Art in America
Art in America
Art in America is an illustrated monthly, international magazine concentrating on the contemporary art world, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, show reviews and event schedules. It is designed for collectors, artists, dealers, art professionals and other...
magazine for her awards.
Her work focuses on human relationships, family, and aging, often using unconventional materials like patchwork quilt
Patchwork quilt
A patchwork quilt is a quilt in which the top layer consists of pieces of fabric sewn together to form a design. The quilting design does not necessarily follow the patchwork design, and the design of the quilting may play off the patchwork design....
s and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
tiles. She explores issues of human fragility and strength. In her 2008 artist's statement for an installation she wrote:
I am witness to the modern anomaly of dividing the tribe—of the separation of generations from one another, each to their respective institutions. As an artist, my interest in this subject has led me to seek out communities of all kinds for my work, both traditional and uniquely present-day, exploring the relationships we have developed or abandoned in this contemporary age.