Tzu Ju Chen

Tzu Ju Chen is originally from Taiwan and received her BFA in Jewelry & Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design. While at RISD, she attended the European Honors Program in Rome, where she solidified her love for architecture in antiquity, independent studio practice and drawing. She received her MFA in Metalsmithing in 2006 from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She was the recipient of a 2006-2007 Fulbright Fellowship to China to research traditional Chinese jewelry making techniques, principally focused on the kingfisher Bird Feather Inlay. She has exhibited nationally and internationally since 2000 at the same time maintaining a career as a fashion jewelry designer. In 2018, she received a Catalyst grant from DESIGNxRI to start her own limited edition jewelry business after more than 14 years designing custom jewelry in the fashion industry. In 2020, she is named one of the Semi- Finalists for the MacColl Johnson Fellowships. She lives in Rhode Island where she maintains her studio practice of one-of-a-kind works and business.