Born in 1918 in Denver, June Schwarcz studied and worked in industrial design before a book on enamels inspired her to change her artistic focus. She soon began experimenting with different construction techniques and surface treatments, such as etching, electroforming, and engraving, to create forms which she then covered with transparent enamels. Her inventive manipulation of materials was the hallmark of her work. Schwarcz attended the University of Colorado (1938), the University of Chicago (1939), and the Pratt Institute, New York (1939-41). She was among the first enamel artists featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in 1959 (now the Museum of Arts and Design, New York), and continued to push the boundaries of her medium before passing away. Her work is in the collections of the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and the Zurich Design Museum, among others worldwide. In 2010 she was recognized as a Living Treasure by the California state legislature. June Schwarcz died in August of 2015. She received the American Craft Council’s Gold Medal in 1996.