Bernard Kester

Bernard Kester (1928–2018) was an American designer, artist, curator, and writer,^[1] known for his pottery and textile design. He was instrumental in the studio craft movement in the United States through his work as a curator and exhibit designer at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and he worked to elevated craft and fiber works to contemporary art found in museums. Kester founded the fiber art program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was named an honorary fellow by the American Craft Council (ACC) in 1980.^[2]

Bernard Kester
Born	March 25, 1928 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Died	October 26, 2018 Studio City, Los Angeles, California, United States
Other names	J. Bernard Kester, Bernard J. Kester
Education	University of California, Los Angeles (BFA, MFA)
Occupation(s)	Designer, artist, curator, writer
Known for	Pottery, textile design

Biography

Bernard Kester was born on March 25, 1928, in Salt Lake City, Utah.^[3] When he was a young child, the family temporarily moved to Newport Beach, California, followed by a move to Long Beach, California.^[3] He started making art in kindergarten.^[3]

Kester attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and graduated with a BFA degree and MFA degree.^[3]

From 1956 to 1991, he taught at UCLA, starting with ceramics and eventually switched to teaching weaving.^[1] Kester founded the fiber art program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Some of Kester’s notable students included Gerhardt Knodel, Maren Hassinger,^[4] and Neda Al-Hilali.^[1]

Kester worked as a curator and exhibition designer at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.^[1][5] He worked to elevated craft and fiber art to contemporary art found in museums. His exhibition design work was included in the show, The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in West Asia, 1256–1353 (2003).^[6]