About Mara 4 Art
Her Mission
Our Collection
Our Collection
Some people know how to live
well; they become masters of
their profession and then use
that knowledge and passion to impact
the world in a positive way. Mara
Adelman is one of those individuals.
Mara’s personal arc took her from
teaching at prestigious American
universities such as Northwestern to
becoming a Fulbright Specialist in
cross-cultural
Some people know how to live
well; they become masters of
their profession and then use
that knowledge and passion to impact
the world in a positive way. Mara
Adelman is one of those individuals.
Mara’s personal arc took her from
teaching at prestigious American
universities such as Northwestern to
becoming a Fulbright Specialist in
cross-cultural communication. Her
co-authored book, Beyond Language:
Cross-Cultural Communication
for ESL, enabled her to teach at
international universities and
conduct workshops on cross-cultural
communication in Ethiopia, China,
Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Turkey, and
aboard Semester at Sea.
Cross-cultural communication has
been her life’s passion. In her humble,
bordering-on-dismissive style, she described
her career path by saying, “I
started traveling for years at a time; in
between, I got a few degrees.” Those
“few degrees” include a Ph.D. in Speech
Communication.
Our Collection
Our Collection
Our Collection
These days, most of what she does is
for the good of others. Her drawings have
raised funds for entre amigos Community
Center in San Pancho, Mexico, and her love
of teaching drew her to offer private art and
jewelry classes for a small fee, which help
fund medical supplies for refugees. She loves
sketching people--children in playgrounds,
older p
These days, most of what she does is
for the good of others. Her drawings have
raised funds for entre amigos Community
Center in San Pancho, Mexico, and her love
of teaching drew her to offer private art and
jewelry classes for a small fee, which help
fund medical supplies for refugees. She loves
sketching people--children in playgrounds,
older people lounging at pools, Day of the
Dead images, and portraits of faces-with character.
As a ceramic artist, she transfers
these drawings to low fire bisque tiles and
then uses underglazes and fine pens for the
final piece, using her whimsical illustrations
to create stunning ceramic pottery.
“I want to make a difference,” she said,
“It’s fabulous when you can convert your
passion into philanthropy.”
MARA ADELMAN
Merging Art, Passion, and Philanthropy
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Mara’s artwork: www.mara4art.com // Non-profit: www.earringsforpeace.com
tmpeartree.com | 925.378.4575
The Journey
Our Collection
The Journey
Now she has brought her formidable
life’s work to a new location and a new
medium. Mara retired to Napa Valley to
become a full-time artist and founder
of Napa Valley’s Earrings for Peace
(earringsforpeace.com), and she shares her
decades of work in cross-cultural communication
by sitting on the board for Napa Center for
Thought and Culture.
She f
Now she has brought her formidable
life’s work to a new location and a new
medium. Mara retired to Napa Valley to
become a full-time artist and founder
of Napa Valley’s Earrings for Peace
(earringsforpeace.com), and she shares her
decades of work in cross-cultural communication
by sitting on the board for Napa Center for
Thought and Culture.
She founded Earrings for Peace to respond
to the global refugee crisis and to raise funds for
Hands On Global, a medical team that works in
refugee camps around the world. As a jewelry
designer, Mara combines diverse gems, glass,
crystals, Bakelite, stone, coral, seed beads, and
various metals to create both small and large
earrings, favoring the beauty of asymmetry in
her work. Earrings for Peace uses American made,
non-allergenic earring pins and loops in
its designs. One hundred percent of proceeds
from Earrings for Peace aid the victims of the
international refugee crisis.
During her 40 years of traveling and
teaching around the world, she’s collected
a massive assortment of “found objects”
that she uses to craft necklaces. These are
bold, light works that showcase the remarkable
beads and curios from her travels:
old chevrons from India; wooden receipts
from Japan; antique Bakelite works; silver
Milagros; NYC subway tokens; mahjong
pieces; card game images; dominos; dice;
and coins. She works with silversmiths in
Istanbul and Mexico to finish these highquality,
one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.