Fine Art: Elliot Offner

Elliot Offner (1931-2010) was an American artist

specializing in sculpture and printmaking. Born in New York, his childhood was spent immersed in books about artwork, and  the natural world. This creative foundation influenced his adult life, as his artwork took inspiration from the parallels between the humanworld and wildlife. Offner Studied at Cooper Union before transferring to Yale, where he then received his BFA and MFA, while working under Josef Albers. He married Rosemary O’Connell in 1957, together, the pair were passionate activists and creatives. After graduating, he began his teaching career at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) for one year, and went on to spend the rest of his career teaching at Smith College alongside Leonard Baskin. While teaching Letterpress printmaking at Smith, Offner gained national recognition for his sculptures. Throughout his career, he received many honors and awards, as his artworks became a part of both public and private collections, one of which was the Medal of Honor from the National Sculpture Society (2007). Offner was Artist-in-Residence at several institutions including Yale, Cambridge, Brandeis, and King’s College. Some of his public works can be seen locally, such as Great Blue Heron and Horse, both installed on the Smith College campus.

​Bronze Sculpture:

Wood Sculpture:

Woodcuts: