Karen Karnes

Karen Karnes was born in 1925 in New York City to Russian and Polish immigrant parents. She graduated with a degree in design from Brooklyn College, where she also met her husband David Weinrib (1948-1959). They attended BMC from 1952-1954 as artists-in-residence. She is well known for developing a flameproof casserole dish and also serving as the curator for the annual pottery show and sale at the Art School at Old Church in Demarest, NJ for more than 40 years. Karnes has also received numerous awards including a Medal of Excellence from the Society of Arts & Crafts in Boston (1990) and a Craftsman’s Award from the National Endowment for the Arts (1976). She died on July 12, 2016.