Loretta Ana Kaufman is a highly accomplished sculptor and painter whose five-decade career has been dedicated to capturing the essence of the natural world through her art. Her work, spanning two and three-dimensional forms in wood, fiber, metal, paint, and clay, is recognized for its organic forms and raw, unglazed surfaces. Her stoneware sculptures are celebrated for their balance of symmetry and fluidity, while her acrylic paintings feature bold, geometrically complex abstract imagery that invites contemplation of serious issues such as ozone depletion and animal awareness.
Ms. Kaufman’s career began in the 1970s when she studied at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida. She moved to Pretoria, South Africa, in 1976 and devoted full time to her art. Initially working as a ceramist from 1976 to 1979, she produced utilitarian clay works for retailers in Pretoria and Johannesburg. She moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1979 and continued to produce utilitarian as well as sculptural works in clay. With a move to Piedmont, South Carolina, in 1981, she focused solely on sculpture until 2001. During this time, she served as an artist-in-residence with the South Carolina Arts Commission from 1989 to 1994 and established the Clay Enrichment Program with the Metropolitan Arts Council in Greenville in 1989.
Since 2001, Ms. Kaufman has been based in Nashville, Tennessee, where she continues to create as a multi-medium artist and instructor. Her work has been exhibited internationally since 1977 and is included in permanent collections worldwide. Additionally, she has contributed to various publications and projects, including authoring articles for the National Association of Women Artists’ NAWA Now Quarterly Magazine.
Ms. Kaufman has an extensive portfolio of creative works in writing, curation, and contributions to the arts. She has authored articles for NAWA Now Quarterly, including in the Spring 2023 issue for NAWA, the organization, in New York, and conducted an interview with Susan G. Hammond, executive vice president of Who’s on Board. As a writer and contributor, she has participated in Micro Projects for NAWA Now Quarterly Magazine. She is a certified peer juror with NAWA.
Ms. Kaufman’s work has been acquired by prestigious institutions, including the CICA Museum, the Czong Institute for Contemporary Art in South Korea in 2021, and the Tennessee Arts Commission in Nashville in 2020. Her earlier contributions included acquisitions by West Point Home in New York in 1993 and curatorial roles for exhibitions in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia in 1991. She also authored the catalog for a sculptors’ exhibition in 1991. Other notable accomplishments include collaborations with the Environmental Research Foundation in Washington, D.C., in 1990, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts in Texas in 1988, and Bank of America in London, England, in 1989. Ms. Kaufman’s international influence extends to Johannesburg, South Africa, where she contributed to the Ensemble Musicale Chambre Orchestra in 1978.
Ms. Kaufman’s educational background includes earning an Associate of Science from Palm Beach Junior College, now Palm Beach State College, in 1967. She also completed coursework at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 1975 and Mohaczy-Matic in Pretoria from 1976 to 1979. Her education was significantly influenced by ceramic artist Mohaczy-Matic, who instilled in her the values of organization, craftsmanship, and technical knowledge.
In addition to her artistic achievements, Ms. Kaufman has been active with industry-related organizations. She served as the South Carolina state representative on the board of directors for the Tri-State Sculptors Education Association from 1988 to 1995 and is a signature member of NAWA. Her civic contributions include chairing the Ceramic League of the Palm Beaches Annual Exhibition at the Norton Museum of Art from 1980 to 1982.
Ms. Kaufman has earned international recognition for her work in painting, sculpture, and mixed media. She was among 21 artists worldwide selected for the Art of Isolation published in Stillpoint Arts Quarterly, featuring her acrylic paintings. Her oil painting Gate Posts with No Gate – The Leg Paint Project was featured in a book of poetry by Peter Waldor, endorsed by Sean Hemingway.
In light of her impressive undertakings, Ms. Kaufman’s work has received top honors in international competitions, including an honorable mention in Black & White 2025 by Fusion Art and multiple awards from Light, Space, Time and Fusion Art in 2024 and 2025. She placed fourth in Everything Abstract 2024 and earned several special merit awards and honorable mention awards in artist’s choice, annual abstracts, and open exhibitions.
Ms. Kaufman has been recognized by NAWA as well, winning the Zlowe Medal of Honor for first place in sculpture at the 131st Annual Members’ Exhibition in 2020 and an honorable mention in The Art of Healing exhibition at the New York Public Library in 2022. She received the Cecile Adler Cliffer Memorial Cutting-Edge Award, which is open to all artistic media, for acrylic painting at NAWA’s 129th Annual Members’ Exhibition in 2018 in Manhattan. In 2020, a retrospective of her sculptures, paintings, mixed media work, and works on paper was exhibited in the gallery of the Tennessee Arts Commission in Nashville.
Ms. Kaufman’s achievements extend globally, including a purchase award from Bank of America in London in 1989 and first place in the Monarch Tile Ceramics Competition in 1988. She has also been honored in Canada, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and various international exhibitions, consistently earning top placements for her acrylic paintings, sculptures, and abstract works.
Outside of her professional life, Ms. Kaufman, who was born in New York, enjoys photography, hiking, and spending time with her husband. Looking to the future, she plans to continue creating and producing art that reflects her passion for the natural world and its myriad complexities.