Join us for a CreativeZen session featuring Deborah Perlman, an Abstract Geometric 3-D Collage Artist.

About the Speaker

South Florida artist Deborah Perlman is a graduate of Boston University (BFA, sculpture) and Cranbrook Academy of Art (MFA, sculpture). After graduate school, Perlman ventured into communications, enriching her creativity through travel and special assignments. Since dedicating herself to art full time, she has been featured in several art publications and her work has appeared in exhibitions nationwide including three solo exhibitions from 2023 – 2024. Perlman’s work is held in private collections, and she is a member of regional and national professional artist organizations.

Perlman creates abstract geometric 3-D collage by transforming flat images into raised architectural forms that add depth, texture, and shadows. She cuts, scores, and folds paper to create the forms, then combines them with materials like photographs, wood, and metal. Juxtaposing these forms, she highlights their points of contact and the shadows they cast. Each piece invites the viewer to travel through doorways, walkways, ramps, and passages, leading them on a journey to spaces filled with mystery, questions and the unknown.

The artist finds inspiration from the form, structure and styles of African sculpture; the Constructivism, Geometric Abstraction, and Cubism art movements; the work of Louise Nevelson; the ‘illogical perspective’ of Giorgio de Chirico and M.C. Escher; Joseph Cornell’s shadow boxes; and Frank Stella’s metal reliefs, among many others. Her concerns for the environment, reactions to global conflicts, and personal life experiences contribute to the subject matter she addresses.

Doors open at 8:30am for coffee, tea, breakfast bites and community gathering. The panel begins promptly at 9:00am.

🎟️ Free & open to the public
📍 Cotilla Gallery, Alvin Sherman Library @ NSU
🚗 RSVP to receive your free parking link via email

CreativeZen was born out of Choose954’s mission to connect, engage, and inspire the local creative community through meaningful storytelling. Supported by Nova Southeastern University’s Alvin Sherman Library and their Circle of Friends Board, CreativeZen has hosted over 70 talks across 7 years—each one offering a spark of insight, connection, and inspiration.

Events include a complimentary guided meditation, followed by a short, insightful talk or discussion. You don’t have to be an artist to attend—just bring your curiosity and an open heart.

This event is an associated program of the Mirrored Realities exhibit. To learn more about the exhibit, visit lib.nova.edu/mr