Metal Knitting: From Chain Making to Expanded Forms

Cheri Dunnigan is a Master Goldsmith and nationally recognized landscape painter.

Cheri was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts.  Born with a creative drive and blessed with parents who recognized and nurtured both her artistic interests and creative ambitions, she was able to begin to develop her artistic talents from an early age.  Cheri made her first piece of jewelry at the age of 15.  That experience lit a passion and set the course of her studies over the next 7 years.  It led her to The Cleveland Institute of Art where she studied under John Paul Miller and earned a 5 year Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree specifically in Silversmithing.  Having majored in Silversmithing and jewelry design, she worked for many years as a designer craftsman. She owned and operated her own studio showroom in Hopkinton, Massachusetts for many years.

In 1998 Cheri was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. At that time having lost much of the strength and dexterity in her hands it became clear that she would not be able to continue metalsmithing.  At that time she turned her talents towards pastel painting, and with pastels found a new passion. Painting had atremendous therapeutic effect and before long she not only found herself launched into a new career, but also found that her condition went into a complete and lasting remission.

Today Cheri is thrilled to be working again in metal.  She has exhibited both her metalwork and paintings nationally and has won numerous awards.

Cheri’s work was represented for many years at The Ritz Carlton Beach Resort in Naples, Florida where she created exclusive one of a kind and limited production jewelry for their Gallery clientele.  During the pandemic she redirected her attention to the innovative textile techniques that she had begun to develop several years earlier, and a new direction and compelling body of work has been the result moving Cheri’s work beyond jewelry and into larger scale sculptural forms. Cheri’s work is now represented by Method and Concept Gallery in Naples, Florida.