From Ancient Symbols to Woodstock Silver

This summer (2025), I had the honor of giving a series of slide presentations at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts—the very site of the legendary 1969 Woodstock Festival. Returning to that sacred ground to tell my story as the original silversmith exhibiting at Woodstock was quite an experience. It felt like coming full circle, not just as an artist, but as a witness to a moment in history that forever shaped our culture’s vision of peace, creativity, and freedom.

In my presentations, I shared how my journey as an artist began long before Woodstock. It started in grade school, when I became fascinated with ancient symbols—their mystery, their power, and their ability to express universal ideas that transcend language and time. That early love of symbolism inspired everything I would later create.

By the early 1960s, I began a 3-year silversmith apprenticeship program and after that I started handcrafting what would become the very first pieces of counterculture jewelry—art that spoke to a new generation seeking meaning, connection, and change. Then at Woodstock in 1969, I exhibited the peace symbols, zodiac signs, and other symbolic motifs that reflected the spirit of the times. I didn’t realize it then, but those early pieces would become part of the visual language of a movement. Those designs—rooted in ancient beliefs and reimagined for a new era—helped define what became popular “new age” symbols starting in the 1970s.

My presentation also explored the fascinating history of symbols across cultures—from ancient runes and Egyptian amulets to the modern peace sign—and how those meanings resurfaced in the fashion and art of the 1960s. It’s a story of continuity, showing how humanity has always used symbols to express hope, unity, and transformation.

Standing before audiences at Bethel Woods, I could feel the same creative energy that first drew us all together more than half a century ago. Sharing my journey was not just about the past—it was about honoring the timeless connection between art, spirit, and the desire for peace that still resonates today.