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Jewelry Artist and Instructor Susan Ryza

Susan Ryza earned a BFA in Textile Design & Art Education from Rhode Island School of Design, and an MS in Bilingual Education from Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus.  From 1977-1979, she worked with weavers in the Peace Corps in El Salvador, developing new designs and marketing strategies.  Between 1979 & 1995, she owned and operated Toucan Hats & Accessories, a wholesale millinery design & manufacturing and handcraft import business.  She moved to Santa Monica, CA from New York City in 1990. She & her husband, Steve, have been Santa Monica residents ever since. Their 2 children were born and raised in Santa Monica.

In 2000, Susan started teaching crafts at The Westside Waldorf School in Santa Monica. Since then, she has taught jewelry-making, knitting, crochet, weaving, sewing, needlework, macrame, & basket-weaving to both children and adults at Wildfiber, Crossroads School, Michael’s Craft Store, Will Rogers School and Seven Arrows School. She is currently a faculty member of Santa Monica College, teaching at SMC’s Emeritus College & at SMC’s Continuing & Community Education Program. She also teaches jewelry-making classes in her home studio. She is a partner in Santa Monica Artisans & sells jewelry in local stores and craft shows. Her work has been displayed at Becket Arts Center in Massachusetts and at the Emeritus Gallery in Santa Monica.

Susan's Statement:

"I have loved crafts since I started doing needlepoint to make a belt for my boyfriend at RISD. I was so happy with the result that I switched from being a Sculpture major to Textile Design, with an emphasis on hand-weaving. After college, I spent a couple of years working with weavers in the Peace Corps and, as a result, decided to bring home their products and start a business in the U.S. My father was an accountant, and my mother is an artist, so I have both types of genes in my blood. I loved exploring Latin America (I eventually expanded from El Salvador into Guatemala, Mexico, Bolivia, & Ecuador), learning about native crafts, and then coming back home & selling them. The import business turned into a hat factory after I noticed how well my Panama hats (actually from Ecuador!) were selling. At that point, I started doing my own hat designs, and the business grew from there. I sold the business in 1995 to stay home with my children.

After years of running a business & then full-time parenthood, I finally got back in touch with my love of crafts & art. I painted for a while, and then started doing projects as a volunteer in our local school & synagogue. When I heard there was an opening for a handcraft teacher at the Santa Monica Waldorf School, I jumped at it. The rest is history. From teaching all types of fiber crafts & sewing, I ultimately migrated to jewelry-making (originally taught to me by my then 7-year-old daughter). Eventually, my entrepreneurial blood crept in again, and I started selling my own jewelry designs as well as jewelry-making tools & materials.

I love to explore new methods, and so I use a wide range of techniques and materials in my work - among them chain maille, bead weaving, wirework, & bead stringing. I love learning & incorporating new methods. Having a textile design background, I especially enjoy adapting fiber techniques for jewelry - using wire, cord, ribbon, macramé, crochet, spool knitting, netting, weaving, knotting & braiding."