Phillip Fike

Phillip George Fike (1927–1997) was an American metalsmith and jeweler.

Early life and education Fike was born in 1927 in Baraboo, Wisconsin. In April of 1945 Fike finished high school and directly enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He attended University of Wisconsin under the G.I. Bill. where he studied Applied Art. Fike earned his Master of Science degree in 1951 from the University of Wisconsin. Fike taught art at Wayne University in 1953 and continued teaching there for 45 years.

Career and achievements He is known for his work in the decorative metal technique of niello as well as reintroducing the fibula brooch to contemporary metalsmiths.

Fike was a founding member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Fike was the person who coined the acronym “SNAG” for this society. The goal of the SNAG organization was to create diversity and encourage creativity in the metalsmith world. In 1983 he was named a Master Metalsmith by the Metal Museum in Memphis. In 1988 he was named a fellow of the American Craft Council.

Fike characterized himself as “a simple American Metalsmith competing with the excellence of the past.

His work is in the Detroit Institute of Arts, The Metal Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Fike died in Grosse Pointe