Kurt Matzdorf

Kurt J. Matzdorf (1922 – 2008),^[1] also known as Kurtheinz J. Matzdorf, was a German-born American jewelry designer, metalsmith (which included silversmith, goldsmith) and an educator.^[2] He was Professor Emeritus at State University of New York at New Paltz and he founded the metals department. Matzdorf was known for his religious objects in metal.

Kurt Matzdorf
Born	(1922-05-26)May 26, 1922 Stadtoldendorf, Lower Saxony, Germany
Died	December 20, 2008(2008-12-20) (aged 86) Kingston, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Hawthorne, Westchester County, New York, U.S.
Other names	Kurt Heinz J. Matzdorf, Kurtheinz J. Matzdorf
Education	Slade School of Fine Art, University of Iowa
Employer	State University of New York at New Paltz (1957–1985)
Known for	metalsmith, jewelry designer
Spouse	Alice Elinor Litt
Children	2
Awards	American Craft Council Fellow (1992), Lifetime Achievement Award Society of North American Goldsmiths (2006)

Early life and education

Kurt J. Matzdorf was born May 26, 1922, in Stadtoldendorf, Germany, to parents Alice Frank and Wilhelm Matzdorf.^[3] His family was Jewish.^[4] In 1939, he was brought to England on a kindertransport.^[4] His mother was either murdered in Chełmno extermination camp near Ljublin on April 20, 1941^[5] or Hadamar Euthanasia Centre on February 11, 1941.^[6] His father was murdered in Sachsenhausen concentration camp on January 28, 1942.^[7]

During World War II, he attended Slade School of Fine Art in London and studied with the sculptor Benno Elkan in Oxford. In 1949, he moved to the United States, where he studied goldsmithing and metalsmithing^[4] at the University of Iowa.^[3] He was married to Alice Elinor (née Litt) and together they had two children.^[1][8]

Career

After completing his studies, he taught crafts at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, from 1955 to 1957. Matzdorf founded the metals program and taught at State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz), from 1957 until 1985.^[9][3] He was a Professor Emeritus of Gold and Silversmithing.^[1][3][10] In 1970, thirteen years after starting the metals program, he was joined by Robert Ebendorf.^[11] Matzdorf had notable students, including Barbara Seidenath and Lisa Gralnick.^[12]

Matzdorf was known for his contemporary Judaica silversmithing and goldsmithing, and he created objects like menorahs, kiddush cups, and synagogue jewelry.^[4][13] In 1992, Matzdorf was awarded the title Fellow by the American Craft Council (ACC).^[2] In 2006, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of North American Goldsmiths.^[3] He also designed and created a series of ceremonial maces and chains of office for colleges and universities in the United States.

His work is included in public museum collections such as at the Jewish Museum,^[14] Jüdisches Museum Berlin,^[4] Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,^[15] among others.

References

1. "Deaths: Matzdorf, Kurt". The New York Times. January 6, 2009. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
2. "Tributes and Goings-On". American Craft Council. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
3. "Kurt J. Matzdorf Obituary (2008)". Legacy.com. Times Herald-Record. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
4. "Kurt J. Matzdorf (Künstler)". Jüdisches Museum Berlin (in German). Retrieved June 29, 2021.
5. Ernesti, Christoph (1996). Sie waren unsere Nachbarn: Die Geschichte der Juden in Stadtoldendorf : Ein Gedenkbuch. Verlag J. Mitzkat Holzminden. p. 39. ISBN 9783931656027.
6. "Matzdorf, Alice". Memorial Book - Victims of the Persecution of Jews under the National Socialist Tyranny in Germany 1933 - 1945. German Federal Archives. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
7. "Wilhelm Matzdorf". The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names. Yad Vashem. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
8. "Deaths: Matzdorf, Alice L." The New York Times. July 7, 1998. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
9. "Designer-Craftsmen Group Planning Exhibition of Work". Newspapers.com. Wellsville Daily Reporter. August 28, 1958. p. 7. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
10. "Professor emeritus recognized for contribution to metalsmith community". SUNY New Paltz News. June 12, 2006. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
11. Robinson, Ruth (August 22, 1977). "The Jewelry Is Disparate, But the Artists Share a Bond". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
12. Doornbusch, Esther (June 25, 2021). "Lisa Gralnick". Hedendaagse sieraden (in Dutch). Retrieved June 29, 2021.
13. "Silver From Yesterday And Today". Newspapers.com. Muncie Evening Press. February 9, 1995. p. 15. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
14. "Kurt J. Matzdorf". The Jewish Museum, New York. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
15. "Kurt J. Matzdorf". The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.