As an artist I am continually exploring uncommon ways to present common forms. I am drawn to the sensuality of metal--how the static becomes fluid and the ways the material can be infinitely transformed. Often it is the materials themselves that serve as a catalyst to create a piece. Creating softness in a hard surface or light in something dark can be akin to finding poetry in the mundane. I love the process of building pieces architecturally, and the marriage of structure and organic elements is especially intriguing. There is quiet beauty in the interplay of the physical and the emotional and how we relate to the objects we keep, and particularly the objects we wear. I aspire to create evocative and wearable pieces, external reminders of the things that we carry.
Kara Hetz is a jewelry artist working out of her Philadelphia studio. She earned her BFA from West Virginia University and her MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, both in Studio Arts. Making jewelry and working with metal was a post-graduate passion and she received her metalsmithing training primarily at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, as well as through self-taught study. As she considers learning a lifelong endeavor, Kara is continually adding to her skills through workshops and online classes and receives support and advice from fellow jewelers. Since moving from Chicago in 2018, Kara has been active in building her creative community in Philadelphia.
1990
University of Illinois at Chicago, IL
M.F.A. Studio Arts
1987
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
B.F.A. Studio Arts
2007 – 2013
Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
2024, 2025, 2026
March for Art, InLiquid Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2024 - 2026
Gravers Lane Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2022 – 2024
Egan Rittenhouse, Philadelphia, PA
2013 – 2023
Union Handmade, Chicago, IL
2011 – 2015
Lillstreet Art Center Gallery, Chicago, IL
2024, 2025
Nextfab Miracle on American Street Holiday Market, Philadelphia, PA
September and October 2024
Clay Studio Market Days, Philadelphia, PA
2022
Mo’Town Studio Walk, Morgantown, WV
2019
Art Star Holiday Market, Philadelphia, PA
2024
Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Grant, PA Council on the Arts
• Nextfab (Philadelphia) Society of North American Goldsmiths Art Jewelry Forum
• InLiquid
2006 – present
• Independent Jewelry Artist creating hand-forged fine metal jewelry with a fully licensed small business and supporting e-commerce website
2013
• Teaching Artist, Nicholas Senn High School, Chicago, IL
2011 - 2013
• Youth Metalsmithing Instructor, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
1994 - 1997
• Assistant Curator, Percent for Art Program, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Engaged community and selected art for public buildings
