Jesse Berlin

Jesse Berlin is a local sculptor and sculpture teacher. He received his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in Sculpture from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois. His sculpture, which utilizes anatomy and realism to explore themes relating to the universal human condition, has won several awards and was featured in the 2014 issue of Direct Art Magazine, the 2013 Arizona Biennial, and KGUN 9’s “Morning Blend.” Since completing graduate school, Jesse has been an active member of the Tucson art scene, participating and exhibiting in a number of local group and solo exhibitions. From the fall 2013-spring 2016 he was a member of the Sculpture Resource Center, teaching classes in sculpture and helping to organize and curate events including the annual Tucson Erotica and Tucson Sculpture Fest exhibitions. Having previously focused on other sculptural media, in 2016 Jesse began working in ceramics. He studied with Hirotsune Tashima at Pima Community College and in 2017 completed a work-study scholarship program during which he studied the figure in ceramics with Kensuke Yamada at Penland School of Crafts. Since august of 2017, he has been a member of the Romero house family, having served at various times as a monitor, an instructor, and as the studio manager. In 2022 one of his ceramic sculptures produced at Romero House was used as the basis for a character in the hit Netflix series “The Sandman.”