Julie Roffe Barkin, of Cranford, NJ, is an interior designer and calligrapher who began her professional art career designing books at Raven Press in NY City, then served as Art Director with Kolker, Talley, Hermann advertising agency on Madison Avenue.  She studied Jewelry Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Type Design at the School of Visual Arts.  Since 1995, Julie has studied paper-making at the New Jersey Center for Visual Arts, and has since chosen paper making and paper as the medium for her expression.  Julie’s work has been exhibited at the 1997 Union County Juried Arts & Crafts Exhibition and at the Palmer Gallery in Springfield, NJ.  She was also chosen to be part of the first Cranford Artists Open Studio Tour 2004.

Julie’s inspiration:

I was inspired by the paper and the tzedakah box itself. When I started wrapping the box in layers of paper and metal, a flower began to emerge. This flower became a metaphor for the recipient of the money this box will hold; both the flower and the recipient need nurturing to grow.  How wonderful that this tzedakah box will enrich someone’s life and foster their growth.