She studied painting, printmaking and sculpture at the Caulfield Institute of Technology (now Monash University) in 1979.
In 1981 she had her first solo exhibition at the Blackwood Street Gallery and her work was selected to be shown at Meat Market Craft Centre; Gryphon Gallery; apart from having her work showcased at numerous other group exhibitions.
In 1987–89, she graduated with a Diploma of Visual Arts, from the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education (now Monash University).
Inspired by the free spirit of Pablo Picasso,[4] and Niki de Saint Phalle, Halpern's famous works include the surreal sculpture Angel,[5] commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria to stand in the south moat of the gallery, and now relocated to Birrarung Marr and Ophelia commissioned by the Southgate development project and situated in the riverside promenade in front of the main Yarra river entrance.
[8] In 2012 Halpern was invited to participate in the JingAn International Sculpture Project (JISP), in Shanghai, China.