Jacques Schnier was a sculptor and Dean of the Department of Sculpture at UC Berkeley. Born in Constanza, Romania in 1989, Schnier arrived in San Francisco at the age of four and received a B.E. in civil engineering from Stanford University (1920) and an M.A. in sociology from UC Berkeley (1940). In 1936, Schnier joined the UC Berkeley Art Department, founded its sculpture division, and created a program for the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sculpture. He taught at the campus until 1966. In 1980, Schnier began to make large stainless steel cuboid forms, and the Walnut Creek Civic Arts Gallery mounted the 25-year survey of his work in 1983. In this interview, Schnier discusses his Romanian background, city planning studies, UC Berkeley’s Department of Art, and his reflections on an artist's life. This interview is part of a group of interviews documenting California’s Jewish community.