Center for Craft

Center

| Craft is for everyone

Building a future for craft.

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Center for Craft

Center

| Building a future for craft

Building a future for craft.

Cowork

Grant Recipient

"Natural Science,” 2024, copper, sterling silver, 9.25 in. x 4 in. x 2.75 in. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Flor Fabela

Windgate-Lamar Fellowship

2025

I entered college as a Millennial among Gen Z classmates, a first-gen, nontraditional student. Though older than my peers, my path wasn’t linear; it was shaped by years of self-discovery, like dismantling electronics to understand them. Before art, I explored anthropology, neuroscience, and computer science, searching for the right way to express myself. I found that language in craft.

I transform discarded materials into intricate objects that explore the intersection of nature, technology, and humanity. Using copper, silver, and electronics, I blend organic patterns with mechanical structures to create jewelry and sculptures that honor the past while reimagining the future. Through etching and forming, I give new life to materials, uncovering possibilities.

Growing up amid rapid technological change, I witnessed the shift from VHS to DVD, sparking a fascination with how things worked, a curiosity that now drives my practice. I see materials not just for what they are, but for what they were and can become, reimagining technological remnants as artifacts bridging past and future through craft. Jewelry fosters an intimate dialogue between object and wearer, while sculpture invites reflection. Inspired by nature’s patterns (ammonites, networks, structures), my designs reflect the resilience and evolution of both organic and artificial worlds. Through craft, I transform the overlooked into the extraordinary, revealing connections between history, material, and human innovation.