Even if her name doesn’t ring a bell, if you’ve driven down Henderson Avenue recently, you’ve seen artist and jewelry maker Andrea Reich Fender’s work. She created Heaven’s Door, the distinctive piece near Newflower Farmers Market that is part of the Henderson Art Project. “It could symbolize the door to the kingdom of heaven, or the doors of opportunity, or doors to one’s dreams, or doors of perception,” she says. Reich Fender’s Swiss Avenue townhome is an art museum of sorts with works — some by her, some by husband Rick Fender and a few colorings by 2-year-old Helen Miriam — adorning every wall. Today she’s working on a project for the Red Bull Art of the Can contest, where artists compete for a trip to Art Basel in Switzerland by fashioning Red Bull energy drink-inspired sculptures. “It can be anything inspired by Red Bull or made with recycled Red Bull cans,” she explains, revealing her nearly completed project. It’s a scepter made entirely of recycled items — a chrome bedpost as the staff, a former hubcap as the decorative top. Shiny blue and red jewels are tiny pieces of Red Bull cans. The piece was inspired partly by the power of the Bull, and, like most of her work, greatly by her spiritual beliefs. The scepter derives from a passage in the Old Testament (… a scepter shall rise out of Israel). “It’s about the coming of Jesus,” she explains. “It would be nice to win, but most importantly I want to make a memorable piece that people won’t forget.” —Christina Hughes Babb
