Joy Stember

In the winter of 2010, Joy went on a Taglit Birthright trip to Israel. While there, she was captivated by the landscape, culture and history. Upon her return home, Joy felt a stronger connection to Israel, her culture and her identity as an artist. This journey profoundly changed Joy's perspective and led her to discover her true passion. She began to focus on creating contemporary Judaica full-time. Joy attended Tyler School of Art, Temple University, in Elkins Park, PA where she received her BFA in Metals. She has continued my education with summer workshops at Penland School of Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and she has also been influenced by her father, a talented fine jewelry designer, who has mentored Joy in design, craftsmanship and business. The clean lines and repetitive nature in urban landscapes inspire Joy's work, as well as mid-century design. She uses a variety of metals such as pewter, brass, bronze, silver and copper. Her work is handmade in the US and each piece is lovingly fabricated by scoring and folding sheets of pewter to make 3 dimensional works of art. The gorgeous textures are pulled from many influences and are embossed into the metal. As a designer and maker, Joy's intent is to encourage the importance of American high-end craft in the modern home by creating contemporary heirlooms for a new generation of collectors. Joy has been included in national competitions and publications such as: Lark Books’ 500 Metal Vessels and 500 Judaica. She was a 2008 Rio Grande Saul Bell Design Awards Finalist and a 2010 & 2011 NICHE Awards Finalist as well a 2012 NICHE Award Winner in the Judaica Division. She has also exhibited in some of the most prestigious juried craft shows in the country including The Smithsonian Craft Show, Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, and American Craft Council shows in Baltimore and Atlanta.