Welcome

… to my electronic repository of professional enterprise.

I am a historian and a goldsmith. My PhD is in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture from the Bard Graduate Center. I work at the intersection of humanities, science, art, and industry. My research areas are early modern alchemy, laboratory technologies, and emblem culture as well as studies on jewelry and environmental toxicity. I experiment with gold alloys and patinas and current materials research includes recreating imitation gemstones from 17th-century alchemical recipes.

As a historian, I direct Active Matter, a materials research group that applies expertise in past knowledge systems and artisanal practices to develop and support regenerative artisanal projects. This collective emerged from the Gold & Mercury working group I led, which published an interdisciplinary research project that examines the chemical histories of these two interrelated meals and how they have reshaped bodies, cultures, and environments.

As a maker, I create ethical jewelry that brings hidden histories to light through my experimental startup, Prima Materia.

I teach STEM, Humanities, and Fine Arts students at undergraduate and graduate levels as well as adult learners. I am a history educator to jewelry industry professionals, and I lecture for museum outreach programs. My teaching practice combines the study of texts, images, and objects with hands-on work using tools and materials.

Please direct enquiries to dbilak[at]pratt[dot]edu

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