Kari Bye

Designer, silversmith and jewelry artist

Viking ships and Nordic traditions in folk art have been the foundation for Kari Bye's jewelry, but with playful flowing lines she has developed her own style. She established KARI DESIGN jewelry business in 1973 in Colorado, after her education there in art and design.

A clear form with a gentle elegance is the image of Kari's work, developed during a time when Scandinavian Design was especially popular in the U.S. In 1983 she won a design award from the International Gold Corporation in New York. A few years later she moved back to Voss, Norway. In 1994 her jewelry was part of the SPOR-collection, a professional juried crafts-project for the Olympics in Lillehammer, where she was praised for her "assurance as a designer".

Kari has participated in many ehibits, international crafts projects, study tours and seminars She has received a crafts award from the Norwegian Crafts Association, and a Norwegian travel grant for folk culture. She is also active as a writer and lecturer, especially with themes related to design or "creative consciousness".