ABOUT RACHEL
ARTIST STATEMENT
I create wearable pieces addressing human connections to objects, fixating on comfort felt from their use. The bond between the object and the wearer fuels my studio practice, with a focus on psychology. A deep investigation into psychological behaviors informs my work, allowing me to create pieces that generate emotional stability for the wearer.
Photo taken by Alex Manno.
BIO
Rachel Chalik is the Operations Director of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC). She is also a board member of the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) Philadelphia Chapter. She received her BFA in jewelry from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and became a full-time goldsmith in NYC shortly after. She volunteered for New York City Jewelry Week and then joined the JVC team in 2019. She continues to work on her own jewelry business in Hatboro, PA.
CV
EDUCATION
2017 – BFA, Craft + Material Studies, Concentration: Jewelry, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
2017 Windgate Fellowship recipient
2016 Penland Summer Scholarship from The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS
2017 - Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2017 - Transitional Touch, The University of the Arts Crafts Senior Thesis Exhibition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
October 2019 - Present: Operations Director for Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC), New York, NY
July 2023 - Present: Women’s Jewelry Association Philadelphia Chapter Board Member, Philadelphia, PA
January 2020 - February 2020: Sand Casting class taught for the 92nd St Y, New York, NY
August 2018 - November 2019: Project Manager for NYC Jewelry Week, New York, NY
May 2017 - October 2019: Goldsmith and Product Designer for Reinstein/Ross Goldsmiths, New York, NY
2016 – Teaching Assistant for Continuing Studies, Jewelry Design and
Metalsmithing with Kaitlin Kerr, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia
2016 – Teaching Assistant for Continuing Studies, Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing with Joseph Pillari, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia
2013 – 2015 – Studio Technician for Ceramics and Sculpture Departments, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, Pennsylvania
2007 – 2008 – Intern for ceramicist Lisa Naples, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
WORKSHOPS & COLLABORATIONS
2024 - Echo Lake Collaborative, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA
2018 - Echo Lake Collaborative, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA
2017 - Forget Me Knot with Kristin Beeler, Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, NC
2016 – Storytelling and Belt Bucklery with Lola Brooks, Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, NC
2015 – Echo Lake Collaborative, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA
2014 – Echo Lake Collaborative, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA