We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melina Finkelstein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Melina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

As an owner of a boutique rug brand that spanned decades I was used to dealing with supply chain issues that arose by way of trade sanctions. In 2011 I traveled to Vancouver, Canada with my family to look for an alternative distribution country after Obama placed trade sanctions on Iran that would force my rug business to close in the US. Shortly after we visited Vancouver we moved to Konya, Turkey to change the manufacturing country instead. When those same sanctions were lifted we reopened our workshop in Iran and returned to the Bay Area. Any small business person can imagine the anxiety of the struggle to remain in business when it feels like the rug is being repeatedly pulled from underfoot.

What I never imagined was being put in a position of needing to escape the organization that I cofounded with a peace flag and a vision of fair trade. When I asked my former partner for a divorce we had a thriving business. The timing could not have been worse. We were in the process of moving to Sweden. What happened during that time can only be described as a nightmare that I could not awaken from. My 18 year old son and I were gang-stalked and told to “disappear” by our own family. They had taken control of our bank account. All they needed to do was to terrify us and they did. No one in our family offered protection or support. It appeared to be a plot that involved every key person in my company but myself and my son. If you are a woman artist I want to convey to you that if you are the creative director of your company your team may identify an opportunity to force you out after you served long enough to cut you out and keep your share for themselves.

For my entire adult life I have been a reliable earner and provider. My former partner dubbed me, “ATM machine.” In hind sight, that was a missed red flag. I can’t begin to describe the feelings that I experienced by being erased by my own team. I had no way to communicate with clients and designers that I built relationships with for decades. What could I say? I had no voice because what happened was beyond the sphere of public discourse. I had no idea how to handle such a complex problem. I became reclusive and depressed. I struggled to move forward. Sometimes I would visit my old website to see how my former company was describing itself. My story was deleted. My face vanished. Our important cultural achievements were reduced to an impersonation and a list of stated values with no one behind them, no story that would explain the existence of extremely rare rugs without a designer. The designer collaborations were also uncredited and new collaborators were presented who didn’t know me or simply didn’t care and could plausibly deny any knowledge of the bullying campaign we endured. It was deeply embarrassing and heartbreaking. To this day none of the designers who made contributions between 2003-2018 are credited though all of our designs are offered for sale. I felt written off as a casualty of gendered violence and intimate partner abuse- a subject that is too misunderstood to integrate into the business landscape.

How I ultimately resolved the issue
I trademarked my brand Peace Industry. My former partner claims that he lives in Bali and I believe that to be true. That means that he is legally out of reach and holding him accountable for using my intellectual property without consent or compensation would be extremely difficult. However, now that I own the trademark I can take back control of my identity and my voice. I can tell my story without fear. Going forward my brand will be my name, Melina Finkelstein, and my supporters will know exactly who stands behind my brand- me.

Melina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I became a painter by attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1992. I moved to New York in 1995 and established an art practice in Brooklyn. To earn a living I worked as a fit consultant for many fashion houses like; Michael Kors, Bob Mackie and Walmart. That experience provided a hands on education in the textile business. In 2000 I relocated to the Bay Area to start a family with my former partner. In 2001 we were expecting a baby and I wanted to establish a family business. My former partner was from Iran. He had given me a felt rug that he bought in a craft shop there before we were a couple. I convinced him to bring me to Iran so we could research the unusual felt rugs. That is how I got into the custom rug industry. As the business thrived I opened retail stores in San Francisco and developed creative collaborations with Bay Area designers such as; Heath Ceramics and Alison Damonte Design. That business ultimately closed due to trade sanctions on Iran in 2018.

I currently offer an assortment of customizable rug collections with over 50 designs and many qualities ranging from my legacy Peace Industry TM wool felt rugs made in Nepal by my new all-woman team. I personally trained my team during a residency in Nepal in April, 2024. I offer Casa Muñiz hand woven flat weave rugs and tapestries made in Oaxaca, Mexico. I also offer non-objective pattern based paintings on wood or fabric. All of the required art and design work is included, I offer samples to borrow and I meet Bay Area clients for free design consultations in their homes and offices. The problem that I solve for my clients is that I remove the barrier between collector and artist. They are engaging with and being heard by the designer and production manager of their custom rug. This direct connection to the artist is very rare and offers access to the creative process and value by way of design efficiency.

What I am most proud of is my commitment to my design practice and my values. From day one I have positioned myself in the market as an artist practitioner of fair trade and a change maker. I named my brand Peace Industry to have a name to live up to. Those values are my North Star and I truly believe that I can make a positive impact by honoring all contributors in the Circle of Honor. I believe that artists have powerful voices and that we can shape the future with our imaginations. I am extremely proud of my rug practice. My Peace Industry TM felt rugs are extraordinarily rare and a must for all Bay Area textile collectors.

What I want the art and rug world to know is that I deliver remarkable, one-of-a-kind custom rugs and tapestries in 5-10 weeks. I am a boutique artist-designer who offers exceptional and friendly service. My supply chain is transparent and we are all committed to excellence and fair trade. My collections will continue to develop along with new collaborative creative partners.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

What I want non-creatives to know is what it is like for me to be seen. Part of my job is to be emotionally invested and take risks that pave the way for other artists, in particular; women artists. My practice is based on deeply personal values and my ambition is a recipe for failure unless I succeed in an arena that I’m not welcome in. My status as a woman artist has placed me at risk of danger and isolation. I lack adequate support and protection. It is really easy to discredit courageous women artists and visionaries, devalue our art and steal our intellectual property to keep our prices lower than our male peers. There is a spiritual chasm between support and surveillance. Instead of speculating whether or not I will survive gendered violence as a woman artist, please offer recognition, solidarity, inclusion, credit and appreciation. It gets heavy for me. I am often overwhelmed and surprised by what I am expected to quietly endure. On the days when I want to quit it is because of the way I am uncredited for my work and dehumanized by monitoring bystanders, often by my own “family and friends.” Credit for my contributions to the extremely patriarchal rug industry is being withheld by an entire design community spanning at least four countries, who benefit from my erasure when they should be paying me for my art work- a community I once gave to out of love, believing that I was a part of it. They do not want you to know this is happening. Please be a part of the change that needs to take place to protect women artists and designers like me. We are not even safe and that is not fair.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is fair trade. It has been my mission since day one. My early experience in the fashion industry informed my business vision. I am in this space to change it. My all-woman manufacturing partners are highly valued members of my team. I practice transparency. I do not engage in price negotiations with my rug making partners nor my clients. I work together with my partners in their workshops and we build strong rug programs and relationships based on alignment, respect for each other and our craft. The evolution of my fair trade vision has become specifically feminist and more inclusive of myself as a worker.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Melinafinkelstein.com
• Instagram: peaceindustryrugs, casamunizdesign
• Linkedin: Melina Finkelstein

Image Credits

just me:)