Elisabeth Arzt
she/they
Adamstown, MD, US
Elisabeth Arzt is a Maryland-based multidisciplinary artist and founder of Fine Arzt Studio. Raised on a Western Maryland farm, she developed a lasting reverence for nature that continues to ground her work. With a BFA in sculpture from the Corcoran College of Art + Design, Elisabeth’s practice spans monumental chainsaw carvings to finely wrought jewelry, blending woodworking and metalsmithing to honor material, memory, and transformation. Sustainability is central—she crafts with recycled sterling silver, salvaged wood, and ethically sourced stones, creating heirlooms that connect past and present. Each piece reflects her fascination with time, history, and story, from wood rings that carry nature’s rhythms to metals endlessly melted and reimagined. Elisabeth’s work has been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Craft Week, Strathmore Mansion, and Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art, and belongs to private collections in the U.S. and abroad.
“My work explores memory, time, and transformation through jewelry and sculpture. Using recycled sterling silver, 14k gold, salvaged wood, and ethically sourced stones, I create pieces that honor material and story. Rings of wood echo nature’s role as a timekeeper, while silver and gold—melted and reshaped countless times—carry the imprint of many hands. Each piece is both adornment and talisman, a reminder that what we carry connects us to history, place, and one another. Rooted in sustainability and craft, my practice seeks to preserve memory while offering new forms of beauty.”
How does your work relate to the theme of flourish(ing)?
“Your practice takes materials that might otherwise be overlooked—scrap silver, discarded wood, remnants from carving—and transforms them into objects of beauty and meaning. This act of renewal reflects flourishing: growth out of what was once dormant, forgotten, or cast aside. By merging metalsmithing and carving, you cultivate resilience and creativity, celebrating both the monumental (sculpture) and the intimate (jewelry). Your work flourishes by honoring memory, history, and sustainability, while inviting others to connect with the cycles of transformation that exist in nature and in ourselves."
How does your creative practice allow you to flourish (grow, thrive, blossom)?
“My practice flourishes through transformation—reshaping raw materials and fragments of history into objects that honor memory, resilience, and connection. By merging metalsmithing and carving, I create jewelry and sculpture that hold space for both the monumental and the intimate. In doing so, my work speaks to growth, endurance, and the possibility of finding beauty in what endures and evolves.”
"Hickory Burl Earrings", Sterling silver, garnet, sapphire, hickory burl, 3” x 2.5” x .25”, 2025
As a queer+ artist, what would you like to see and/or what do you need in order to flourish during this time?
“As a queer+ artist, I want space that not only shows the finished work but also values the stories, processes, and communities that shape it. To flourish during this time, I need networks of care—platforms that celebrate authenticity, collaboration, and sustainability, rather than competition or tokenization. What helps me thrive is knowing my work is part of a collective dialogue that uplifts queer voices and preserves histories often overlooked. Flourishing, for me, looks like having the resources and visibility to sustain my practice while being connected to others who are also creating, resisting, and transforming.”
Photographs Courtesy of the Artist
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“Much of my process begins with sourcing—whether salvaging antique glass, reclaiming sterling silver, or working with wood passed down from my family farm. These materials carry memory before I even touch them. By reshaping and reimagining them, I honor their past lives while offering them a new form. Researching traditional craft techniques and experimenting with ways to merge them with contemporary design allows me to create jewelry that holds both history and possibility. For me, the act of making is also an act of remembering, preserving, and re-connecting.”