At the intersection of the finest art and fashion, lies the bold ingenuity to elevate materials from ordinary to gorgeous, and Cleveland-based jeweler and artist, Deanna Dionne, accomplishes that and more with her unparalleled company, Cleveland Street Glass. She fabricates necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings with the shattered auto glass swept from curbsides and streets, left behind from actual car break-ins that occur throughout Northeast Ohio, sometimes incorporating resin to add an extra sparkle.
Although originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 29-year-old Dionne understands as well as any native or long-time resident that grit is quintessential to Cleveland character and charm, and it is fused into each standalone piece she creates.
Her inspiration for this resilient jewelry was borne of the first car break-in she experienced, just days after relocating to the city in 2014. While others might have met the crime with frustration, Dionne donned her artist's lenses and saw la vie en rose, recognizing an opportunity to create beauty from malaise.
Recently named as one of Cleveland Magazine’s 2017 Most Interesting People, she is humble, amiable and brimming with infectious enthusiasm for her work. “I feel blessed,” she expressed during our telephone interview, reflecting on the success she’s experienced with her work.
And it’s impossible not to share in her excitement, for her jewelry is at once defiant yet tender, and serves as a metaphor that translates easily into sage advice: Bad, awful, and no-good things will occur, and sometimes for seemingly no reason – but it is your perspective that ultimately shapes your reality. For Dionne, her uplifting rejoinder to a senseless crime created a company that produces beautiful jewelry and ignites happiness in her city and her customers.
Cleveland Street Glass is available for purchase at ClevelandStreetGlass.com, as well as The W Gallery in downtown Cleveland, Dawn Tekler Studio in Cleveland, Canton Museum of Art in Canton, and Gallery Sitka in Shirley, Massachusetts. It is also sold at local events such as The Cleveland, Hudson, Youngstown, and Westside Fleas, with the next being the Cleveland Flea on August 12, from 9 am to 4 pm.
