Short Bio
Zen Levin is a student at Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh. They pursue creative work in steel sculpture at a variety of scales, jewelry, and printmaking.
Statement
(2022) I am a 15-year old sophomore at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School. For the past two years I have been creating jewelry and small sculptures from bent steel wire. The majority of my products are rings, animal-shaped charms, and trees. I work at home at a desk in my bedroom, and I use a small set of hand tools. Most of my works are improvised, on-the-spot, and each item is unique. I get a lot of inspiration about shapes from the material itself, and the process of bending it.
In April of 2022 I had the privilege of participating in the Handmade Arcade Spring Market. It was my first time selling my work as a professional. I sold more than 100 things at the market. Before the Spring Market my only selling experience was in school, and having the magical feeling of selling a ring off my own hand to someone who will cherish it. I choose to make my pieces inexpensive, because it is important to me that my work is accessible and affordable.
Biography
Zen Levin (Instagram: @zenmetal__) pursues creative work in steel sculpture at a variety of scales, jewelry, and printmaking. They work as an educator and as the assistant shop manager at Industrial Arts Workshop, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to workforce development through metalcraft education. Zen has presented metal sculptures at the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum and at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council's Art on the Walls exhibition series at Eleven Stanwix.
