Jewelry Designer Dana Fear Makes All The Right Moves

June 3, 2016

Leelanau County jewelry maker Dana Fear specializes in kinetic art jewelry, handcrafted pieces that emphasize motion while showcasing innovative style and elegance. Almost all of her bracelets, rings, and pendants feature intricate, moveable pieces.

“I really try to incorporate movement in all my pieces,” she says, taking a brief break from fashioning a new piece at the workbench in her Cedar-area home studio. “It’s different. It catches people by surprise.”

Fear currently works almost exclusively in silver. Prices for her one-of-a-kind pieces range from $100 to $500 for rings and $1,000 to $2,000 for her kinetic art bracelets.

Born in Traverse City, Fear moved to Indiana with her family as a teenager. At her high school in Fort Wayne, she immersed herself in art, taking several classes in painting, drawing, and sculpture. But it was a jewelry-making class that really fired her imagination. “I really liked working with my hands,” she said. “Now, years later, I can still hear my art teachers’ voices in my head. One, Annette Leeuw, was special for me. She taught classes in jewelry and mixed media.”

In 2004, Fear earned a fine arts degree from Ball State University, then four years ago moved back to northern Michigan, where she lives with her husband and three young children.

HOW I GOT STARTED

When I was in the seventh grade, my older brother showed me jewelry someone had made from the high school jewelry class. My response was, “I’m going to make stuff way cooler than that!” By my senior year I was a fixture in the jewelry studio. I worked as a bench jeweler, doing mostly repairs and some custom pieces for a small fine jewelry store from 2003 to 2005, then I worked on my own for a couple of years. In 2008, I packed everything away and decided to pursue other interests. At the end of last year I started to make my jewelry again, and I don’t plan to look back.

THE STORY BEHIND MY ART, MY INSPIRATION

I love for my jewelry to draw people in and take them by surprise. I attempt to get the attention of the viewer with the design and craftsmanship — clean, crisp, structured, and executed to the best of my ability — and then astound them with kinetic elements. I wait for the moment of realization that there is more to the piece than what can be observed from a distance or in a photograph, which always comes with a joyful smile of surprise, and that is where I get my thrill as an artist.

When I show my work, I encourage people to pick it up and interact with it. As an artist it’s hard for me to see my work on display in a way that does not invite participation. It is essential to me that the movement in my jewelry is effortless and flows naturally with the experience of wearing it, which is why the bulk of my work is bracelets and rings. One unanticipated surprise for me in my jewelry is the sound produced by the moving elements. It’s always pleasant and a little different on each piece, and I never know exactly what I’ll get until it’s finished. It’s like a little “Hello there!” to the wearer.

WORK I’M MOST PROUD OF

I love all of my bracelets. The more intricate, the better, but they are all interesting and technically challenging in their own way, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment after I complete each one.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE

Before I got back into my jewelry making, I was a certified childbirth educator. All of my children were born at home. Also, I let my three kids, ages 8, 5, and 2, test each piece for durability before I call it done. My twoyear-old thinks all rings should make noise when shook.

MY FAVORITE ARTIST

I recently have discovered fellow metalsmith and jeweler Salima Thakker, from Antwerp, Belgium. Her modular line is amazing. It speaks to my love of repetition, movement, geometry, and precise fabrication.

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING YOUNG ARTISTS

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Just keep trying, keep working. I do not have raw, natural talent, but I am persistent.

MY WORK CAN BE SEEN/PURCHASED

I’m doing the Traverse Higher Art Exhibition on July 29 and 30 at Ecco in downtown Traverse City. After that I’ll seek gallery representation both locally and nationally.