COSTUME COSTUME II

I sure do love the boxes I got at SCRAP (Scrounger's Center for Reusable Art Parts) last week. It is a fabulous place that was started as a nonprofit in 1976 during our country's last financial crisis to provide art supplies to school teachers. It is still much needed, is going strong, and is my source for all paper and packaging for my work. Below these little beauties are filled with my pieces for the COSTUME COSTUME II show that opened at Sienna Gallery 07.02.2011. More on the show below...



COSTUME COSTUME is a collection of work made by emerging contemporary art jewelers. It is an exploration of costume jewelry as subject; jewelry about jewelry. I am very excited to be part of the show, curated by everyone's favorite upcycler Arthur Hash, and sponsored by Erin Gardener's The Opulent Project.
The first version of this show was presented at this year's SOFA NY by Sienna Gallery, and I highly encourage a tour of their photobooth, which is available on their facebook page and is linked here.


The show is an exciting opportunity for me, and we all do thrive with a deadline, don't we? I explored the cameo as iconic (costume) jewelry memorabilia, and was thinking a lot about the empty nostalgia that costume jewelry can evoke for me. My cameos were paper blanks, empty of any actual faces or remembrances, and included ribbons and bows as decorative elements. You can see on flickr that I am very enamored of my ribbon at the moment! The show is up at the gallery in Lenox, MA with selected pieces available online through 08.25.2011.

Eye Candy III

Kristen Beeler
That's your opinion



Kristin Beeler
fine silver studies

Today, some images from Kristin Beeler, who has a site that you can travel to for more images and information.

Eye Candy

Sharon Massey,
bursting brooch
steel, cotton muslin, silver, 14k gold, freshwater pearls, beeswax

Well, I have never had much of a sweet tooth, preferring to take in the majority of my candy through the eyes. So, in honor of national eat-whimsically-shaped-molded-candy-chocolates-day on the 14th, I will be posting images of jewelry that I love to look at, so that you, too, can get your fill of sweet, sweet studio jewelry.

The pieces are all made by contemporary jewelers worldwide: artists who I know, wish I knew, have heard of, or have found in the interspace. I'll try to include 2 images minimum of each mouth-watering artist's work. Today seems to be about the lovely color white.

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Sharon Massey,
pearl necklace
iron wire, cotton muslin, wax, pearls

Karen Gilbert
nest neckpiece (detail)
sterling silver, silk, pyrex, aquamarine 2007

Karen Gilbert


Arthur Hash,
neckpiece
Cast polyurethane

Arthur Hash,
ring
copper, paint

Check back for more this week!

Who's afraid?

SF Museum of Craft + Design is having several events around the opening of their new jewelry show, including a walk-through of the exhibit with SFMC+D's interim curator Mariah Nielson on Friday at 11am.

Designers on Jewelry: Twelve Years of Jewelry Production by Chi ha paura...? is the show, and Dutch product and jewelry design megastar Gijs Bakker will be giving a talk on Saturday from 4-6 pm on his 12 year dialogue with modern designer/jewelers which resulted in this show of over 50 international artists. (SFMC+D link above for more info.)

"Who’s afraid of…contemporary jewelry? ...Moving past the conventional concept of simple decoration and an investment in gold or stones, the goal was to redefine the value of jewelry by the fineness of the idea, not the materials."