Shane Prada & Elliot Keely of Baltimore Jewerly Center

About the guests

Shane Prada came to Baltimore in 2004 as a Teach For America corps member. After receiving her Master of Arts in Teaching from the Johns Hopkins University in 2006 and completing her TFA tenure, she helped start one of the first charter schools in Baltimore city. In 2010, Shane began taking evening classes at the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Jewelry Center, then a continuing studies program. She fell in love with art jewelry and metalsmithing and the community fostered by the Jewelry Center. In the fall of 2012, MICA announced that it would discontinue the 22-year old Jewelry Center program in 2014. In the spring of 2013, a leadership team comprised of the core faculty and three students from the program was formed. Shane took the lead as the team created a new organization that would continue the legacy of the MICA Jewelry Center, the Baltimore Jewelry Center. In her role as director of the BJC, Shane oversees the administration and strategic plan of the organizations, steers the programming, raises funds through grant writing and fundraisers, manages the organization’s finances, and manages community outreach. In her spare time, Shane is an avid equestrian, training and competing in the Olympic sport of eventing.

Elliot Keely is an artist and metalsmith from Raleigh, North Carolina. Elliot completed my BFA with a concentration in metalsmithing and jewelry design from Appalachian State University. From 2017-2019, Elliot participated in the two year Core Fellowship at Penland School of Craft. Elliot  explores different processes, often incorporating ceramics, drawing, painting, and collage into my work, while maintaining and specializing a practice in metal. Elliot is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland. where he works to manage the Baltimore Jewelry Center, a non-profit jewelry educational space.

About the Baltimore Jewelry Center

The Baltimore Jewelry Center is an educational nonprofit building a vibrant creative community for the study and practice of metalsmithing and art jewelry. We educate and inspire new and established artists, as well as promote metalsmithing and art jewelry to the general public through exhibitions, community and educational outreach.

The Truth In This Art
The Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond’s arts and culture.

The Station North Arts & Entertainment Interview Series is supported by the Station North Art’s District & Central Baltimore Partnership.

Mentioned in this episode
Baltimore Jewelry Center

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