Iris Eichenberg b. 1965
As the current head of the metals department at the revered Cranbrook Academy of Art, Iris Eichenberg creates jewelry and objects that belie the notion of adornment having to simply be beautiful or pleasing. Using found materials in unexpected combinations, Eichenberg’s jewelry evokes hidden narratives, sense memories and deeply felt experiences and invites the viewer to build upon and inhabit these stories. Speaking on her work, Eichenberg states: "Beautiful, harmonious materials bore me."
Born in Germany in 1965, Eichenberg studied jewelry design and goldsmithing at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. She graduated in 1994 and taught there from 2000 to 2007, until she received the appointment at Cranbrook. Eichenberg received the prestigious Herbert Hodmann Preis in 2001 and her work is held in collections including the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, The Mint Museum, Charlotte, and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
