Emma Olivia was born and raised in Tampa, Florida.  Her lifelong loves - art, the outdoors, and cats - were expressed early with trips to the museum, walks in tropical storms, and fluffy white cat toys.  She attended Howard W. Blake High School where she had her first experiences with metals and photography.  Emma later traveled to San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato Mexico to study silversmithing at with William T. King at Sterling Quest.  After selling jewelry for several years as “Bitter Honey,” Emma received an MA in Metals at Ball State University where she studied metalsmithing with Patricia Nelson. For the next two years Emma worked as an assistant to Meghan Patrice Riley, a Brooklyn based jeweler. In 2017, She earned an MFA at SUNY New Paltz. Emma now lives and works in Florida – splitting her time between personal studio practice and teaching.

Selected Exhibition History:

2022    Sunistra 4, Tempus Gallery, Tampa, FL 

2021    Guidelines Vol 2. Baltimore Jewelry Center Gallery, Baltimore, MD 

              Ybor Art Bear, Factory on Fifth, Tampa, FL 

2020    Radical Jewelry Makeover South Florida, Palm Beach, FL 

2018    Under Fire 2: Enamel Guild North East, Worcester, MA 

               Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, Tampa, FL - Selected for Emerging Artists Category  

2017    MFA Thesis Exhibition, Dorsky Museum, New Paltz, NY

              Press: Pause, Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY curated by Shannon Stratton

              Alchemy4, Arrowmont School of Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN

2016    Typeset, UWM Special Collections, Gold Meir Library, Milwaukee, WI (catalogue)

              dis/play, ARTBAR Gallery, Kingston, NY

              Obsession, Greenville, NC

              It Came From Under the Bench, Greenville, NC

2015    American Craft Council Show, Baltimore, MD

              Influence, East Carolina University, Greenville

2014     The Schwa Show: National Juried Art Exhibition, Pitt Country Arts Council, Greenville, NC

              Fine Contemporary Craft of the Southeastern US, Artspace NC, Raleigh NC

              Soulcology, Guilford Art Center, Guilford, CT

              Earthly Delights, Lilstreet Gallery, Chicago, IL

              Reliquary/Redux, Burroughs Welcome Gallery at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

2013    Humor Me! Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, Solomons, MD

              Alchemy2, 10th Juried Student Enamel Exhibition, The Carnegie Arts Center, Covington, KY

              Graduate Thesis Exhibition, Atrium Gallery, Ball State University, Muncie, IN

              Kids These Days... Gallery 308, Muncie, IN

              Bombyx Mori, Ball State University Arts Annex, Muncie, IN