ABOUT MARISSA RACHT RYAN
Marissa’s first degree, her bachelor’s, was in fine art, theater, and broadcast communications for set design and art direction for film and theater. She then went on to receive a Post Baccalaureate degree in the conservation of paintings, frames and archaeological objects. After she finished her conservation studies she worked professionally as an art conservator for 15 years.
The fall of 2011 she was fortunate enough to spend in Cortona, Italy where she had the opportunity to begin her study and practice in the art of metals and jewelry at the University of Georgia’s Cortona program, and she fell in love with it. Marissa then continued to take courses in jewelry at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, beginning a Master’s degree there under Professor/ Artist, Kathleen Browne.
In 2014 Marissa decided for a big change, moving back to Florence, Italy where she completed the Master’s program at Alchimia: School for Contemporary Jewellery and Body Ornament. There she was grateful to study under the artists: Doris Maninger, Lucia Massai, Ruudt Peters, and Lucy Sarneel.
Marissa now lives and works in Florence, Italy.
Living in a different culture fascinates her and allows her to view her own culture from a new perspective enabling her to relate and react to the differences through her work. Along with her work in jewelry and metals, she begun throwing herself into her painting and drawing works quite a bit in the past few years.