Bio

Niki Leist is a Philadelphia based jewelry artist and curator. Trained as a painter with a BFA from Arcadia University, she brings a sculptural sensibility to her sterling silver and gold work. A Halstead Grant Finalist and recipient of American Craft Council’s Early Career Artist Grant, her jewelry is featured in galleries including the Philadelphia Museum of Art Store. She is a co-curator for Dream Machine at NYC Jewelry Week. She explores movement, light, and form while celebrating artist-led, process-driven practices.

Statement

An intuitive love for form-making and the rhythmic actions of handcrafting inform my process. By using techniques like lost wax casting and keum-boo, I create jewelry with swooping curves and twisting edges, juxtaposing high-polish and matte textures. These curves and textures manipulate light to create shadows, edges, and depth, bringing movement to the work as it responds to the wearer's landscape. One could liken the resulting work to the force of water and wind on land, sand dunes, and flowing architecture. Mirroring the effects of wind on land further accentuates the resulting visual movement within my work.