Deirdre is a

Designer and maker of objects
Graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design
“Metal Queen”
Lover of flowers
Enneagram type four
Theater Enthusiast in Training

Deirdre Klemek is a fabricator and designer with a variety of skills. She prides herself for being able to work on any project or task that is thrown at her. She is always eager to learn and is interested in using her skills to help artists tell their stories and make imagined worlds come into reality.

She completed a BFA in Furniture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her time at RISD gave her expertise in designing a compelling piece as well as effectively carrying out those designs with skill and expediency. She enjoys researching time periods and fashions which are then incorporated into her designs. The inherent qualities of the materials and technique also guide a piece’s direction, allowing it to be what it wants to be. Klemek uses the fundamentals of craft in the design and execution of her pieces. The final objects exist for both utility and expression.She finished her degree with a study on how fantastical objects can create respite during the uncomfortable liminal times of life, creating pieces exploring this idea and writing an in depth booklet.

In addition to furniture design and fabrication Klemek has a strong interest in Set Design.   During a set design studio at RISD, she designed sets and discussed the effectiveness of them in relevance to the texts as well as the play’s motivation. This was continued in the Theater department at Brown University with a Technical Set Design class and in a Director-Designer collaboration studio.

After graduation Klemek became employed at a design/build firm in San Diego as a carpenter and production assistant.  She worked in the shop, building a variety of objects, as well as doing field work, installing pieces in corporate and commercial spaces. She also had the opportunity to work on events, doing a variety of jobs from putting up fourteen foot walls to creating a mylar balloon tunnel. Because of the small team at the firm, Klemek was given the opportunity to learn many new mediums and have a variety of different roles.

She recently finished a position as a Props Artisan at Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires. This was an important step into the world of theatre. This role included building custom furniture, repairing pieces, and researching objects. Her adaptability and willingness to learn made her the perfect fit for this position. Klemek excelled at this role and was asked to stay an extra month because her skills were required for additional projects.