Maximal Art was founded by John Wind and Hilary Jay in 1985. Their vintage found-object inspired brooches, belts, and necklaces became their signature style, recognizable in the world of fashion, and featured in prestigious publications such as The New York Times. Maximal Art collected ornate spoons, keys, distinctive charms, and anything they thought they could craft into fashionable pieces of jewelry from the local markets and skillfully transformed them into stunning pieces like the cinched belt seen here.
In the 1990s, Jay moved on to become a design journalist and co-founded Design Philadelphia. Robbin Cook became president of Maximal Art; together, Wind and Cook refreshed the brand, developing a collection of working watches, home accents, and gift jewelry. In 2004, the introduced the John Wind Signature Collection.
Dina Wind was a global citizen and artist. Born and raised in Israel, she moved to the United States in 1963 with her husband Jerry, settling in Philadelphia. There she raised her family while studying at the University of Pennsylvania, the Barnes Foundation, and with Philadelphia artists Sam Feinstein, Tom Gaughan, and Leon Sitarchuk. Simultaneously, she began her own studio art practice, first in painting and then welded metal sculpture. She became best known as a fearless lady welder at a time when this was quite unusual. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academyof Fine Arts, Woodmere Museum of Art, Grounds for Sculpture, WestCollection, Tel Aviv Museum and more.
She was a passionate advocate for the arts, sitting on many boards and believing in the “Power of Art” to help improve individuallives and society at large. With Jerry, Dina traveled the world, studying, appreciating,and collecting art and jewelry everywhere they went. Her personal style was always an extension of her creative spirit, and she wore her jewelry with confidence, mixing bold abstract pieces with family heirlooms.
Dina passed away in 2014 from ovarian cancer, still young and vibrant at 76. In her memory, her family has created The DinaWind Art Foundation to continue her philanthropy and expand her artistic legacy.
The Dina Wind Art Foundation supports living artists and arts education, sharing the rich story of artist Dina Wind, ensuring her legacy, and promoting her art to inform and impact artists. As a female champion in a predominantly male world, she was an early advocate of creating work withan environmental message and was an outspoken supporter of social justice. The Dina Wind Art Foundation is inspiring tomorrow’s generation of art lovers and practitioners who are committed to making a difference
