THE ARTS CENTER OF MONTROSS

 Julia Vessey is a professional dancer and educator-turned-jeweler. After receiving her M.F.A. in performance and choreography from Arizona State University, she moved to Japan to dance with the butoh company Dairakudakan.

 

Upon her return to the states, she began teaching dance courses at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Always interested in jewelry design, she took a metalsmithing course at JMU and immediately fell in love.

 

Vessey then started to build her own business making jewelry. Vessey still teaches at JMU while working in her home studio.

 

Her home studio is in an 1889 log cabin in Churchville, Virginia that she and her husband renovated and now share with their two sweet boys, three cats, and two dogs.