By The New Pelican Newspaper | on August 25, 2022

By Marc Gave | New Pelican Writer

For Ellen Cohen-Berman, creativity is life and vice versa. Whether you consider her an artist who curates or a curator who does art, creativity is the hub of her motivation.

Cohen-Berman credits her mother as the initial inspiration for her art. “As a single mom, she didn’t have much money, and creativity sometimes sprang from necessity. She did oil painting and got me a little easel. Starting in junior high school, I took art classes. They were my haven.”

At the University of Hartford, a bad experience with a drawing instructor temporarily put the kibosh on her art life. As a Spanish major, however, taking her junior year in Madrid, a “wonderful art professor” got her back into thinking about art.

On returning home, she was able to become certified to teach upon graduation. Working with a mentor teacher, she and her students created a Spanish town in the classroom out of cardboard boxes. But due to budget cuts, Cohen-Berman lost her teaching job and studied to become a court stenographer, a skill she brought with her to Coral Springs.

When residents there wanted to create a playground in a park, she was the driving force behind a fundraiser to create tile walls with handprints and footprints. The walls, which withstood a hurricane, are at the entrance of what is now Princess Meadow’s Playground – honoring Meadow Pollack, who lost her life in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It marked the start of Cohen-Berman’s public art life.

Ellen Cohen-Berman’s standing calla lilies exhibited at WMODA. [Ellen Cohen-Berman]

A display of Ellen Cohen-Berman’s work in the Plunge lobby. [Ellen Cohen-Berman]

Ellen Cohen-Berman’s hanging calla lilies exhibited at WMODA [Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts], Dania Beach. [Ellen Cohen-Berman]

Ellen Cohen-Berman’s original installation at Plunge, October 2019. [Ellen Cohen-Berman]

Ellen Cohen-Berman with instructor Jim Lansing, receiving Three-Dimensional Art award, March 2017. [Broward College]

A Collaborative show at Plunge with fellow artists Will Concord, Jill Lefkowitz, and Vicki Rosenthal. [Ellen Cohen-Berman]

For quite a while she’d wanted to take art classes. While driving home one day on 1-75, she recalls, “I had a flat tire. I saw my life pass in front of me. So, I headed to Broward College North Campus and signed up for ceramics classes. Professor Jim Lansing became my guru. I’ve taken every class he offers twice.”

After that, Cohen-Berman completed a mural on the facade of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. When the administration discovered her Spanish-teaching background, she was hired and once again had the opportunity to bring art into her classes.

Following retirement in 2013, Cohen-Berman resumed studying ceramics. Bringing a pottery wheel and her wares to the Riverwalk jazz brunch indirectly led to her curating career. Patricia Zeiler, executive director of History Fort Lauderdale stopped by and later asked her to do a fundraiser. After its success, Zeiler had her tour the third floor of the New River Inn, then storage rooms, and asked if she’d be interested in clearing them out and creating an artist-in-residence program.

As often happens, one thing leads to another. Zeiler mentioned Tom Mulroy and Joe Imbrogno at Plunge Beach Resort in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, who were looking to create an art program for their lobby. Cohen-Berman, representing the New River Artists Cooperative, was one of two artists [the other was Tammy Seymour, a Bonnet House fine artist] invited to exhibit their work.

Cohen-Berman was soon asked to become the curator at Plunge. She adores working there, citing the supportive team environment and great vibe. She sees curating and her own art going together, forming what we used to be fond of calling a “synergy.”

At Plunge, Cohen-Berman has the opportunity to collaborate with other artists – mentoring some, learning from others, and exhibiting together. The resort’s owners and management love the program and are proud to be engaging the community with art.

There’s a saying, “What goes around comes around,” and now Cohen-Berman is working with children again. Her curated exhibit “Kids Plunge into the Arts” opened on Aug. 13 with 22  young artists ages 6 to 14.

Plunge Beach Resort Hotel is at 4660 El Mar Drive, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Email ellencohenbermanart@gmail.com to reach Cohen-Berman.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Our Hometown DMCA Notices Newspaper web site content management software and services