Sharon Stampfer embraces the physicality of working with her hands. After more than two decades working as an architectural designer, she fell in love with metalsmithing while learning to raise metal into vessel forms. She finds joy in the meditative nature of this craft and considers her practice a form of nurturing, in which she draws upon the patience and devotion honed while raising children. Her work is inspired by relationships, rituals and objects that promote and celebrate human connection. Stampfer earned an MFA in Metals/Jewelry/CAD/CAM from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture in 2022, an MArch from The University of Pennsylvania in 1996, and a BA from Barnard College in 1991.