Lanny Bergner Artist Talk: An Artistic Journey from Korea to The Renwick

Lanny Bergner is a mixed-media sculptor, installation, fiber, and sculptural basketry artist born in Anacortes, WA in 1952. Lanny has been creating biomorphic and geometric constructions and installations out of metal mesh since 1983 and maintains a studio on Fidalgo Island near Anacortes, WA.
Most of Lanny’s sculptures are created out of industrially woven stainless steel and copper mesh that he cuts into shapes, and flame paints with a butane and/or propane torch. He then hand models the mesh- creating topographical effects accentuating the flame-painted design.
His work references natural forms such as plant biology, microorganisms, undersea creatures, earth geology, cosmology, and the human figure. His artwork engages the viewer with glimpses into a world where nature and manmade material coalesce. Currently, he is working on a body of work inspired by leaf forms.
Lanny received his MFA in sculpture from Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 1983 and a BFA in sculpture from the University of Washington in 1981. His work is in numerous museum collections including the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC; Seattle Art Museum, the Museum of Art and Design in NY, the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts, and the Central Museum of Textile in (WOOTCH) Poland. In 1995 he won the Betty Bowen Memorial Award, administered by the Seattle Art Museum. In 2005 he won a Gold Prize at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Cheongju, Korea. In 2010 he was one of five American artists who exhibited at the 13th International Triennial of Tapestry in (WOOTCH), Poland. His work was included in the 2022 book “This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World,” published by the Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with D Giles Limited, London.
Recorded Saturday, Sept 10, 2022