Valerie James is an artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received her BFA in 2016 from Tyler School of Art and continued her studies, earning an MFA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2019. Through the format of jewelry, Valerie translates the gesture and psychology of traversed spaces. Using techniques such as engraving, she conveys these observations, the mobility of jewelry, and the agency it instills both in and out of the studio. Valerie currently holds teaching positions at Tyler School of Art and Rhode Island School of Design, while maintaining her studio practice in Fairmount, Philadelphia.