Claire Kahn studied design Stanford University and grduated in 1977, a recipient of the distinguished Humanities Award. From 1977 to 1984, Kahn worked in the San Francisco offices of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, architects, where she developed graphic design, interior and exterior treatments. Among her projects were the Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco and the Southeast Financial Center in Miami. Since 1985, she has designed water features. As Executive Designer for WET, formerly WET Design, Kahn has designed innovative fountains worldwide. Projects include The Los Angeles Music Center, Gas Company Tower in Los Angeles, Barcelona World Trade Center, Columbus Circle in New York, Beijing Finance Street, The Port of Los Angeles, and The Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas.
In addition to her jewelry, Kahn's studio work includes both two and three dimensional installations which grace select residential and commercial environments in America. Media and treatments include painting and constructions using topographic relief. The interaction of color and pattern is the focus of her work.
ABOUT THE WORK
Today, Kahn creates woven and crochet beadwork using a range of materials from glass to stone, fiber and metal. Each piece can be forty or more inches long. Necklaces can be doubled-up or tripled. Portions of a given piece can be worn to emphasize a favorite passage in the work.
Many finely crafted tiny beads combine to create a larger mosaic. Kahn's work employs a rich variety and progression of color and form.
EXHIBITIONS
Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, NY
PUBLICATIONS AND BROADCAST
"Formal Abstraction of Kahn At Knorr", San Mateo County Times
"Paper, Color and Light", San Mateo Daily Journal
"An Island of Sanctuary in the Traffic Stream", The New York Times
"The Fountains of Bellagio", Architecture West
"Port Beautified by San Pedro Fountain", KABC-TV Los Angeles
"Showtime at PPG Place", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Honoring Henry M. Bloch, dedication in KC", Kansas City Star
"Skyscraper Project", The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Expressive Waters: The Work of WET Design", Land Forum, Issue 9
"Fountains, Splash and Spectacle" Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Rizzoli International Publications
"Oakland's Lake Merritt", KABC "Special Issue on WET Design", World Architecture Review