A conversation with agents and ’artners Peter Miles Bergman and Heather Link-Bergman of the Institute of Sociometry 

'artners Peter Miles Bergman and Heather Link-Bergman collaborate on projects that range from very technical to highly conceptual. Their project for Citizenship: A Practice of Society, called LLiLL (Leftist Leaflets in Little Libraries), combines their expertise in print and book making with their humorous approach to creating interventions in public and private spaces. Join us for a conversation in which they discuss their respective training and individual approaches to making as well as their 'artnership.

Peter Miles Bergman is a conceptual artist, printer, publisher and the founder and Special Agent in Charge of the Institute of Sociometry, an international art and communications cooperative based in Denver, Colorado. Bergman formed the group in 1995 after selecting the term “sociometry” -- which is “the quantitative analysis of individuals and their relationship to groups” -- from the dictionary. Or, in Bergman’s parlance “guerilla sociometry”, which does not conform to the rigors of math or science! Since its founding, the Institute has amassed over 700 special agents, several dozen of which still produce “incidence reports of sociometry” released at a quadrennial Sociometry Fair. 

Bergman has exhibited nationally in New York, NY; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, CA and Internationally in Milan Italy, San Paulo, Brazil. He holds a BA in Studio Art from University of California San Diego and an MFA in Visual Communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His is PRESS publications are held in various collections including: The Institute of Contemporary Art Baltimore, Baltimore, MD; The Chicago Public Library, Chicago, IL; The Joan M. Flasch Artist Books Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; DePaul University Special Collections and Archives, Chicago; IL, The Ron Burnett Library + Learning Commons at Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC; The University of Denver Special Collections, Denver, CO; The Tutt Library, Colorado College Special Collections and Archives, Colorado Springs, CO; University of Connecticut Special Collections, Hartford, CN, and private collections. 

Bergman is an Associate Professor of Art at Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Program Coordinator for Communication Design. He has taught and volunteered his time and talent widely in service to his community, sharing his wit and wisdom with teens and emerging artists. He served as the President of the Board of the Letterpress Depot and is an active member of Denver’s printmaking community. 

Heather Link-Bergman is a conceptual artist, printer and publisher whose practice includes various forms of printmaking as well as artist books, zines, collage, painting, photography, performance and interventions. She is also the Director of Intelligence of the Institute of Sociometry, an international art and communications cooperative based in Denver, Colorado. 

Link-Bergman has exhibited nationally in New York, NY; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, CA. She holds a BFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is held in various collections including: The Institute of Contemporary Art Baltimore, Baltimore, MD; The Chicago Public Library, Chicago, IL; The Joan M. Flasch Artist Books Collection at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; The Ron Burnett Library + Learning Commons at Emily Carr University, Vancouver, BC; The University of Denver Special Collections, Denver, CO; The Tutt Library, Colorado College Special Collections and Archives, Colorado Springs, CO; the University of Connecticut Special Collections, Hartford, CN; and private collections. 

When she is not in her studio or out in the field, Link-Bergman works full-time as an account director focusing on mission-driven marketing, behavior change and public policy. Other professional accomplishments include serving as the teaching artist for three semesters (2019-2020) for the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s teen program, POV (Point Of View).

Partners in life and art, Bergman and Link-Bergman often collaborate. They are the Partners of is PRESS, a publishing and design consultancy that they co-founded. is PRESS offers publishing, design, graphic arts, offset and letterpress and screen printing. Proceeds partially fund short-run artists' books, zines and catalog publishing services associated with The Institute of Sociometry.