Biography
Julia Manheim (b. London 1949), jeweller and installations artist and lecturer, did a foundation course at Hornsey College of Art (1968–9), then a diploma in jewellery design at Central School of Art & Design (1969–72). After setting up a jewellery workshop in Covent Garden, 1973, Manheim established her own studio in north London in 1975. She held a number of residencies, including Newcastle Polytechnic, 1980–2; in Australia, 1988; Galerie Ra, Amsterdam, 1990, with gallery and British Council funding; and Ballroom Blitz Residency, South Bank Arts Centre, 1993. In 1994 she was consultant artist for Braintree Public Library, funded by Essex County Council. She took part in numerous international exhibitions, solo shows including Abbot Hall Art Gallery & Museum, Kendal, 1978; Aspects Gallery, 1983; Galerie V & V, Vienna, 1985; and Paper Works, Galerie Ra, 1990.
Manheim consistently used discarded materials, to avoid their loss, because of their complex associations from a previous life and because she disliked the waste of potentially useful substances. For installations at Galerie Ra and at Reading Visual Arts Week in 1992 she incorporated several tons of newspapers, choosing them carefully. Victoria & Albert Museum, Crafts Council, public galleries in Kendal, Gateshead and Southampton and many other collections hold examples.
