Deirdre Klemek
klemekdeirdre@gmail.com
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With a variety of skills and experiences, it is hard to sum up myself with just one title. I am a fabricator, designer, and artist. I take on any project that is thrown at me with passion, craft, and expediency. My favorite part of this proecess is helping artists tell their stories through making imagined objects and worlds come into reality.
In 2021, I completed my BFA in Furniture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design. My time at RISD gave her me expertise in designing a compelling piece as well as effectively carrying out those designs with skill and expediency. I enjoy researching time periods and fashions, to incorporate into my designs. Craft plays a fundamental role in the design and fabrication of my pieces. My degree culminated in 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 2021, I completed my BFA in Furniture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design. My time at RISD gave her me expertise in designing a compelling piece as well as effectively carrying out those designs with skill and expediency. I enjoy researching time periods and fashions, to incorporate into my designs. Craft plays a fundamental role in the design and fabrication of my pieces. My degree culminated in 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, Set Design has always intrigued me. During a set design studio at RISD, I designed sets and discussed their effectiveness in relation the play’s text and goal/motivation. This exploration continued in the Theater department at Brown University with a Technical Set Design class and in a Director-Designer collaboration studio.
After graduation I worked at a design/build firm in San Diego as a carpenter and production assistant. I worked in the shop, building a variety of objects, as well as doing field work, installing pieces in corporate and commercial spaces. I 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, I embraced the opportunity to learn many new mediums and dive into different roles.
After graduation I worked at a design/build firm in San Diego as a carpenter and production assistant. I worked in the shop, building a variety of objects, as well as doing field work, installing pieces in corporate and commercial spaces. I 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, I embraced the opportunity to learn many new mediums and dive into different roles.
For two summers, I worked at the Barrington Stage Company in the Berkshires. First as a Props Artisan and then as the Assistant Props Supervisor. My work included building custom furniture, repairing pieces, and researching objects. In my assistant role, I was given more responsibility in communicating to managment and other departments as well as guiding the props artisans.
I currently work in the Props Department at The Juilliard School. This involves making specialty pieces, repairing or altering props, and handling set dressing and furniture on stage. Taking on the role of also assist in teaching and guiding the two props apprentices has honed my communication and leadership skills. I often interact with other departments to collaborate on large projects and installs and negotiate our needs.
I currently work in the Props Department at The Juilliard School. This involves making specialty pieces, repairing or altering props, and handling set dressing and furniture on stage. Taking on the role of also assist in teaching and guiding the two props apprentices has honed my communication and leadership skills. I often interact with other departments to collaborate on large projects and installs and negotiate our needs.