Inspired by nature, her jewelry and metalwork now shapes the work of a new generation
Heirs of an MFA student at SDSU have donated her entire studio to the School of Art and Design.
Katherine Merten’s lifework in jewelry and metalwork was influenced by her education at San Diego State University and an MFA earned when she was nearly 60 years old.
Inspired by the forms and gestures of the natural world, one of her first efforts created a series of metal objects that explored the possibilities of a single pod-like shape. She titled her thesis project “The 59th Garden.”
“The resulting objects became this ‘garden’ of forms, inspired by nature and cultivated during my 59th year,” Merten wrote in her thesis statement in 1991.
This past summer, Merten’s family donated her jewelry studio, complete with tools and materials, to SDSU’s School of Art and Design.
“We knew we wanted her tools to be used by artists, not just stored away. SDSU felt like the right place to honor her,” said her granddaughter, Phoebe Merten.
Merten died April 1 at age 93.
"It's hard to encapsulate the person," Phoebe Merten said. "She was just a really vibrant, colorful, outgoing personality…everybody who knew her remembers her. People at the post office, her car insurance lady ― even they remember her. She was the kind of person who made an impression on everybody she met."
School of Art and Design faculty worked with Phoebe to inventory the materials and relocate them to campus, where they have been incorporated into the jewelry and metalwork program.
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Merten’s creativity extended beyond her time at SDSU. She studied at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine and the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina, and she was also a member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
Throughout her life, Merten maintained penpals across the world, collected unique rocks often labeled with the origin location, and made a point to learn the stories of people, even strangers. These attributes not only inspired her projects but will be remembered by all those who knew her.
The gift of Merten’s tools and spirit are intended to continue to shape the experience of SDSU students for years to come. “She was endlessly curious about the world and about people,” Phoebe Merten said. “She loved making things, and she loved sharing them.”
Additional information on the Jewelry and Metalwork program in the SDSU School of Art and Design can be found online.
