Tracy Lee Black is a MFA thesis candidate in the Jewelry and Metals Department at San Diego State University.  She grew up in the Midwest and returned there to complete her BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design from Indiana University in 2008.  Before returning to school to begin her art career, Tracy received her PhD. in Microbiology from the University of Washington, conducted scientific research, and taught courses at Indiana University.  Her artwork focuses on texure, the sense of touch, and it's psychological effects. Tracy has been awarded an SDSU Art Council Scholarship, a Windgate Foundation Endowment Scholarship, two Alma Eikerman Memorial Scholarships for Excellence, and an Honorable Mention from the SNAG Educational Endowment Scholarship. Her work has been published in 500 Art Necklaces.  She has exhibited nationally at The Ring Shows: Then and Now and Putting the Band Back Together, at the Topeka Competition and the Ohio Designer Craftsman Best of Annual Exhibition and internationally at Friends of Carlotta's Rule The World exhibition in Zurich, Switzerland.