The Artist’s profile
Israeli artist Prof. Deganit Stern Schocken, studied architecture and industrial design at Bezalel Academy before discovering her passion for jewellery design, captivated by its expressive potential and interdisciplinary nature. Her early work explored the relationship between architecture and jewellery, reinterpreting the Roman fibula as a miniature embodiment of architectural principles. Over time, her designs investigated materiality, space, and the balance between permanence and value, often treating brooches as metaphors for buildings and cityscapes.
In her 2003 project ‘How Many Is One’, exhibited at the Tel Aviv Museum, she celebrated irregularity and accidents in the casting process, challenging traditional notions of uniformity. For Stern Schocken, jewellery transcends ornamentation, reflecting cultural, social, and political values. Influenced by her upbringing on a kibbutz, she values dialogue and community, which inform her practice as both an artist and educator.
Stern Schocken’s work often engages with political themes, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ‘Caution, Sharp Edges’ series repurposed discarded materials, such as crushed soft-drink cans collected by the artist near the Kalandia military checkpoint, into precious pendants and wall pieces. These works highlight Palestinians’ hardship and advocate for coexistence, embodying her belief in the transformative power of art to inspire recognition and change.
‘’My work questioned the interplay between these elements, especially in relation to permanence and value.’.
Deganit Stern Schocken.
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Prof. Deganit Stern Schocken, b. 1947, Kibbutz Amir, lives in Israel.
Deganit Stern Schocken is a jeweler, designer, artist, teacher, and curator. Founder and head of the Jewelry Design Department in Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art (1998 – 2007). She was the Chair of the Master in Design (M.Des) program in Shenkar (2012 –2016). Today she is a senior lecturer at the M.Des program and at the Jewelry Design Department.
Deganit Stern Schocken graduated from the Department of Industrial Design and Environmental Design in Bezalel Academy of Art (Jerusalem, IL) and has an MA in Arts from Middlesex University (London, UK). She has extensive experience in short and long term workshops at schools and conferences in Israel, Europe and elsewhere.
Stern Schocken’s solo exhibition “How Many Is One” opened at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 2003 and she has participated in many other solo and group exhibitions in Israel and abroad. In 2005, she curated the Israeli Jewelry Biennial ‘Beaten Gold‘ at the Eretz Israel Museum (Tel Aviv, IL) and is currently involved in curating more group exhibitions.
In 2009, Stern Schocken founded “Inyanim”, a group of ten Israeli jewelers whose debut exhibition “No Problem (?)” opened in 2010 at Gallery Loupe in New Jersey, USA. Since then the group showed in many other venues.
Winner of several prizes, her works are included in museum collections and private collections worldwide.
In 2013, Stern Schocken was named one of “Haaretz” Magazine’s 100 most influential people in Israeli culture.
At 2021 her book “How Many is one” which is a retrospective of her work, was published by Arnodsche Art Publishers.
