In the summer, Rochester is home to weekends of markets and festivals that line streets all over the city, from the South Wedge to Park Ave or the Neighborhood of the Arts—and chances are you’ve stumbled upon Vic Crafts at some point. Almost every weekend this summer, rising senior citizen and small business owner Vic Cohen could be found with his booth adorned with a variety of handmade chain jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and earrings—whether it was at the Art Jam Market, the Annual Queer Handmade Art Sale, Market Days at Boulder Coffee, or the markets hosted by Flying Squirrel and the Free Art Collective.
Cohen only started making chainmail jewelry in April, with no prior jewelry-making experience. They are currently double majors in brain and cognitive sciences and psychology, co-presidents of Jewish Voice for Peace, Meridian, admissions interviewers, and student researchers at URMC. As an RA stuck on campus well after the semester ended, Cohen was looking for something to keep them busy, which led them to searching online and Pinterest for tutorials after some initial inspiration from Etsy.
“That was the first time I appreciated real craftsmanship and its many different dimensions,” Cohen said.
Cohen began selling his work to friends and on Instagram, and eventually at art markets around the city. They spent most of their summers exploring Rochester and making jewelry while watching old TV shows like gossip Girl And Sex and the City.
“It’s so much fun. And I’m a student too. I want cool jewelry,” Cohen said. “Originally it was just for my friends. And because I wanted them to have cool jewelry without having to spend a fortune and at a reasonable price.”
These markets also served as Cohen’s gateway to Rochester’s vibrant arts scene, which includes students from the University of Rochester and other campuses, as well as the city’s aspiring young professionals.
Cohen explains, “It’s definitely its own little community. A lot of these people are teachers and office workers and stuff like that, and it’s like I’m a college student, you know. I feel so tiny in the scene, but everyone is so nice and welcoming.”
This allowed them to learn from others in the scene and improve their art by learning different weaving techniques and incorporating different tips and tricks into their pieces. Cohen has made connections with RIT and MCC students after learning that the former institution offers a jewelry making program, and she has met students from that program. “They’ve complimented my work, which is absolutely crazy,” Cohen said. “It’s been an unintentionally great way to make friends.”
These connections led them to discover Little Button Crafts in the South Wedge and get the chance to Chainmail course for beginners myself. “I know I have the ability to teach other people, but I really enjoy sharing my love for it because as a STEM student, I’m stressed out and so immersed in it, and it’s nice to find an artistic outlet… I’m going to teach people how to do this, and that’s fun because I love sharing what I do.”
After graduation, Cohen plans to apply to various graduate schools, including the Warner School for Mental Health Counseling, while continuing to run his small business.
“I’m walking a fine line of learning not to capitalize on something I enjoy so much that I don’t enjoy it anymore,” Cohen said. “I want it to remain something I love.”
Cohen can be found on @viccrafts on Instagram, at art markets throughout the city or at their permanent stand in The Op Shop in the East End.
