Dee Briggs

Dee Briggs was born in 1968 in Western Pennsylvania. She has degrees in architecture from the City College of New York and Yale University. Her architectural education has a profound impact on her art practice. Briggs works in materials traditionally used in the building industry, including stone, concrete and metals, but she is best known for her monumental CorTen steel sculpture – a medium grounded in the industrial history of the rust belt where she is from.

Briggs’ determination to push her medium to its limits and work at such an ambitious scale begins with beautifully crafted works that she makes in her studio, where she develops ideas and tests material, form and finish. Once a design for a large-scale project has been determined, very precise digital drawings are created to drive any necessary engineering and all of the fabrication. All project phases are done in Briggs’ studio where she personally oversees and participates in all aspects of design, fabrication and installation.

Briggs works and collaborates comfortably with design and construction professionals. She is at ease working with individual clients, large groups of stakeholders and local communities. Briggs has significant experience leading and executing large-scale projects with sustained timelines of up to 3 years and budgets of up to $1.2M. She prides herself on budgeting and scheduling accuracy and her attention to detail, ensuring the highest standard of execution.

In addition to her practice, Briggs is raising a teenager, has taught at Carnegie Mellon University and lectures and exhibits nationally.

Photo by Albert Vecerka/ESTO