Bio
Ellen S. Goldberg
has built her identity over the years from a bucket list she created when she was 18 years old. Each experience/goal accomplished from that list has been a building block used in creating her multi-layered identity.
She considers herself an artist, designer, teacher, student, researcher, creator and citizen of the world. For her there have been no borders, or rather, no constraints on her interests and the synthesis of everything she has learned and experienced in her life thus far.
Travel as a teen planted the seeds for her thirst to learn about the world’s many cultures. After graduating as an art major who chose design as her medium she found herself working in a job that many would have found enviable. But, with too much to accomplish in life and too many places to explore she found herself restless after two years and decided to travel and subsequently planted herself in Florida where her parents had recently relocated. Not planning to spend more than a couple of months in the winter, she planned to return north and start an art consulting business. Instead she found herself substitute teaching art classes, and becoming very involved in the local community’s art scene, art museums and in particular with art education programs and landed a job at the new Salvador Dali Museum.as Special Events Director. After a stint at the Dali Museum and at another contemporary art museum as education curator she went back to school to study Interior Design and was asked by the head of the department to teach Design in this college and at another design school in Tampa. Another check for the bucket list. At the same time she created a line of jewelry and assemblages that she exhibited and sold in 150 galleries across the country, and for which she won many awards. It became a cottage industry. Check again. At this time she was also asked to teach professional development workshops to art teachers in several school systems in Florida, became involved in an art/craft gallery and organization, served as an artist in residence, received grants, and taught in art centers and museums and continuing education/enrichment programs for children and adults.
But owning her own home, having had a successful business and achievement of some notoriety, this chronologically aged 30 year old needed a change. After more travel and the eventual meeting of her husband, she settled in Sarasota, FL, becoming instant mom to two boys followed by two girls of her own. She became involved in her children’s pre- school and later their other schools, serving on boards, continuing to be active in education and the arts. Until one day, she decided that with her own children beginning to study for their religious rite of passage, B’not Mitzvah, she didn’t know enough about her own religion. As a young person her religion had served as a major identity and cultural association, but there was so much she didn’t know.
She went back to school for two years in a special adult program of the Hebrew University and decided to apply for a job as teacher of Judaica in her own synagogue and soon after as a teacher in the Religious Studies department of the community Jewish Day School, Goldie Feldman Academy, where she worked for three years. She found that she was able to use her art and design background and other interests in the teaching of various subjects. During the next few years she immersed herself in education of holocaust, Judaica, Hebrew, and genocide, reading and creating her own courses which she also taught in the community. Sensing a need for Jewish artists to get to know one another, she created, with the blessing and financial assistance of the local Jewish Federation, a professional art group for people of Jewish background. 150 people came out of the woodwork and after five years it is still a viable organization.
During this time a couple of other bucket list items had been gnawing at her –making a film and learning stand-up comedy. With her family and some professionals she made a film for a 48 hour guerilla film contest and went to comedy school and successfully performed in front of 350 people. Fast forward – one kid graduating college and the other with 2 years of college to go, she also can check off another bucket list item, that of going to graduate school. Done. Only in mid- life, with a lot more goals to accomplish she hopes to take all of her experiences and new knowledge learned in graduate school and through research to embark on yet another recently added bucket list item; to help individuals find their creativity and help businesses innovate.
Currently a grandparent to her husband's son's two children , and more travel behind her, Ellen has established herself as an art educator in her community and continues to be involved in organizations and Jewish community. Her next goals involve collaborative projects and a book. For Ellen Goldberg life is a journey and if she has learned one thing along the way it is “The more you know, the less you know”. Keep learning and traveling, Ellen, and live that dream.
has built her identity over the years from a bucket list she created when she was 18 years old. Each experience/goal accomplished from that list has been a building block used in creating her multi-layered identity.
She considers herself an artist, designer, teacher, student, researcher, creator and citizen of the world. For her there have been no borders, or rather, no constraints on her interests and the synthesis of everything she has learned and experienced in her life thus far.
Travel as a teen planted the seeds for her thirst to learn about the world’s many cultures. After graduating as an art major who chose design as her medium she found herself working in a job that many would have found enviable. But, with too much to accomplish in life and too many places to explore she found herself restless after two years and decided to travel and subsequently planted herself in Florida where her parents had recently relocated. Not planning to spend more than a couple of months in the winter, she planned to return north and start an art consulting business. Instead she found herself substitute teaching art classes, and becoming very involved in the local community’s art scene, art museums and in particular with art education programs and landed a job at the new Salvador Dali Museum.as Special Events Director. After a stint at the Dali Museum and at another contemporary art museum as education curator she went back to school to study Interior Design and was asked by the head of the department to teach Design in this college and at another design school in Tampa. Another check for the bucket list. At the same time she created a line of jewelry and assemblages that she exhibited and sold in 150 galleries across the country, and for which she won many awards. It became a cottage industry. Check again. At this time she was also asked to teach professional development workshops to art teachers in several school systems in Florida, became involved in an art/craft gallery and organization, served as an artist in residence, received grants, and taught in art centers and museums and continuing education/enrichment programs for children and adults.
But owning her own home, having had a successful business and achievement of some notoriety, this chronologically aged 30 year old needed a change. After more travel and the eventual meeting of her husband, she settled in Sarasota, FL, becoming instant mom to two boys followed by two girls of her own. She became involved in her children’s pre- school and later their other schools, serving on boards, continuing to be active in education and the arts. Until one day, she decided that with her own children beginning to study for their religious rite of passage, B’not Mitzvah, she didn’t know enough about her own religion. As a young person her religion had served as a major identity and cultural association, but there was so much she didn’t know.
She went back to school for two years in a special adult program of the Hebrew University and decided to apply for a job as teacher of Judaica in her own synagogue and soon after as a teacher in the Religious Studies department of the community Jewish Day School, Goldie Feldman Academy, where she worked for three years. She found that she was able to use her art and design background and other interests in the teaching of various subjects. During the next few years she immersed herself in education of holocaust, Judaica, Hebrew, and genocide, reading and creating her own courses which she also taught in the community. Sensing a need for Jewish artists to get to know one another, she created, with the blessing and financial assistance of the local Jewish Federation, a professional art group for people of Jewish background. 150 people came out of the woodwork and after five years it is still a viable organization.
During this time a couple of other bucket list items had been gnawing at her –making a film and learning stand-up comedy. With her family and some professionals she made a film for a 48 hour guerilla film contest and went to comedy school and successfully performed in front of 350 people. Fast forward – one kid graduating college and the other with 2 years of college to go, she also can check off another bucket list item, that of going to graduate school. Done. Only in mid- life, with a lot more goals to accomplish she hopes to take all of her experiences and new knowledge learned in graduate school and through research to embark on yet another recently added bucket list item; to help individuals find their creativity and help businesses innovate.
Currently a grandparent to her husband's son's two children , and more travel behind her, Ellen has established herself as an art educator in her community and continues to be involved in organizations and Jewish community. Her next goals involve collaborative projects and a book. For Ellen Goldberg life is a journey and if she has learned one thing along the way it is “The more you know, the less you know”. Keep learning and traveling, Ellen, and live that dream.