Pelham Art Center and the Teen Artist Council present: Melissa Panszi Riebe, A D’Zine

Pelham Art Center and the Teen Artist Council present the 2024 Careers in the Arts lecture series. Join us for a discussion with Melissa Panszi Riebe of A D’Zine about her journey into a career in the arts.

In 2015, Melissa launched her jewelry business, A D’Zine, which she named in honor of her sons by combining their first initials. A D’Zine sells one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry crafted from new and vintage materials(often pieces donated from families that want to see their loved ones jewelry live on in new designs), as well as global treasures like beads and stones.A D’zine offers unique statement pieces that make her customers feel beautiful and powerful and allow them to express themselves.

Melissa dreamed of the career and life she wanted and focused on her education. After college, her first job was working with inmates on death row. This work inspired her to earn a master’s degree in social work. She moved into a position as a social worker in a cancer center and went on to receive a graduate degree in nonprofit management. Melissa had taken the path she thought was the right one and had built a solid career helping others. Still, there was that part of her that felt like something was missing. Melissa told a friend how she was making jewelry as a hobby. She felt such passion for the craft that she’d begun dreaming of someday turning it into a business.

Melissa feels more fulfilled, more inspired and more engaged in her work. She has even incorporated this idea of more, or “mas” in Spanish, into A D’Zine’s mission to “create bolder fashion statements and a kinder world through “mas” (Make a Statement) community.