Barbara Becker Simon

BIOGRAPHY

Barbara Becker Simon earned a BS in Art Education and an MFA in Metalwork and Jewelry.

She has been a goldsmith for over 40 years and has taught at such institutions as University of Wisconsin-Menomonie, and Iowa State University.

Presently, she crisscrosses the United States as a Senior Instructor for the Rio Rewards Precious Metal Clay Certification Program, lampwork and metal clay workshops. In October, 2004, Barbara traveled to five Japanese cities to teach PMC. And in October, 2008 taught in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia. Her teaching duties took her to Zurich, Switzerland, Wiel, Austria, and Corwall, UK in January of 2010.

Her work appears in Creative Metal Clay Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, and Inspiration New Directions in Metal Clay, (CeCe Wire), The Art of Metal Clay, (Sherri Haab), and PMC Decade and PMC Technic, (Tim McCreight), among other publications.

Her necklace, "Big Links," won second prize (PMC) for the Saul Bell Design Award 2007.

In addition to metalwork, she has gained a national reputation for her lampworked glass beads and jewelry. Contemporary Lampworking by Bandhu Dunham features Barbara's work on the cover. Formed of Fire (Dunham) and, Beads of Glass (Cindy Jenkins) contain examples of her work. 1000 Glass Beads, (Lark) also features photographs of her beads.

In April 2009, her book, "Metal Clay Beads" was published by Lark Books.

Barbara's glass beads are in the collections of the Bead Museums in Washington, DC and Glendale, AZ and the Kobe Lampwork Glass Museum, Japan.