Allie Hafez is a professional jewelry artist based in Minnesota, USA. Her designs incorporate a variety of materials and techniques, and every creation is one of a kind.
Allie began to develop her interest in hand crafts while studying for her degree in Occupational Therapy (OT). Her coursework included learning basic techniques to produce many types of arts and crafts. This exposure has contributed to Allie's use of mixed media in her wearable art. As a result of her OT training and skills in adapting tools, materials and methods for doing things, Allie is acclaimed as a patient and inspiring instructor for beginners and experienced beaders alike. She teaches beading techniques to individuals and groups in both private homes and community-based settings.
Soon after college graduation, Allie started making beaded jewelry to accessorize her own clothing, and was often asked to sell what she was wearing. When Allie moved to Minnesota, she noticed that the most common exclamation about her jewelry creations was "Oh, that's interesting!" That inspired the name under which she now sells her creations: Oh, That's Interesting! Wearable Art (OTIWA for short).
OTIWA designs have been featured in local, national and international venues, including Minneapolis Institute of Arts ; Edina Art Center; Textile Center of Minnesota; Xanadu Gallery (Arizona); APW Gallery (New York); Artists.de (Germany); and Saatchi Gallery (UK).
Allie is a founding organizer of the Prior Lake Area Art Crawl. She designed the initial website for this community event, which debuted in the Fall of 2009.
Allie is a member of MNArtists.org, and often volunteers to help with their promotional events at the Minnesota State Fair and Walker Art Center. A long-standing member of the Upper Midwest Bead Society, Allie was invited to present at a monthly meeting on the use of paper for making beads.
As both an artist and Occupational Therapist, Allie has a particular interest in paper-based designs, for functional as well as decorative use. She has taken courses in "Cardboard Carpentry", which uses specialized techniques for producing affordable adaptive furniture and assistive devices for people with disabilities. Allie's plans for her "retirement career" are to incorporate her skills as an artist and Occupational Therapist to help people with disabilities in developing countries participate in and contribute to their communities' development of local arts and crafts businesses.
