During the summer of 2018, we took a road trip to bring my mom and her two sisters together in Missouri to visit with their mother's jewelry. The audio piece “Sisters,” captures their jewelry stories and conversation. Listen here.
Brooch for a Desk, Neckpiece for a Desk, Neckpiece from a Desk, audio conversation
2021
When my Gram died she left me her old writing desk. I knew I’d be getting it because when I was born she stuck a piece of masking tape under it with my name on it. Years later my children and I were having a dance party. One of them lost their footing and fell into the desk. They didn't sustain any lasting injuries, but the desk did--a wooden shard splintered from the corner of the bottom shelf. I vowed to patch the desk in a way that celebrated the desks features while also elevating the shard into a jewelry-worthy precious gem. In taking cues from the visible mending movement, I amplified the desk's damage, highlighting where it was broken. In so doing I created a brooch for a desk. Jewelry for/from a Desk contains three pieces: a brooch for a desk, and neckpiece with a broken desk shard, and a second neckpiece that borrows from the desks carved decoration. This work is a self-portrait, an Internal Expression, stretched, patched, and mended over four generations. Listen to the audio piece “Sisters,” here.
Brooch for a Desk, 2021
Wood filled PLA plastic
11.5 x 9 x 1.75 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
Desk shard, wood filled PLA, PLA, rope
20 x 7 x 2 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
Wood filled PLA, PLA, cotton cord
12 x 7 x 1.25 inches
Neckpiece
PLA Plastic, ABS Plastic, vinyl, thread
16 x 9 x 4 inches
2022
Brooches
Gram’s stick pins (5), (3), AMS Plastic, Stainless Steel
4 x 4 x 4 inches each
2022
Neckpiece
Gram’s two leaf pins, ABS Plastic, rope, string
22 x 11 x 4.5 inches
2021
Neckpiece, 2021
PLA plastic, Vacuum formed plastic, paint, felt, thread
21 x 8 x .5 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
PLA plastic, Vacuum formed plastic, paint, felt, thread
20 x 9 x .75 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
PLA plastic, Vacuum formed plastic, paint, felt, thread
20.5 x 7.5 x .75 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
PLA plastic, Vacuum formed plastic, paint, felt, thread
22.5 x 6 x 1 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
PLA plastic, Vacuum formed plastic, paint, felt, thread
20.5 x 7.5 x 1 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Wood filled PLA, PLA, rope
20 x 4 x 2 x inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Wood filled PLA, PLA, rope
26 x 8 x 2.5 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
PLA, O-ring binding, rope
14 x 7.25 x 1 inches
Neckpiece, 2021
Gram’s daisy pin, PLA, rope, thread
24 x 6 x .75 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Gram’s bird pins/beads, PLA and ABS plastic, vacuum formed plastic, vintage ribbon, thread
19 x 6 x .5 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Gram’s feather pins, PLA and ABS plastic, vacuum formed plastic, vintage ribbon, thread
19 x 6 x .5 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Gram’s knot earrings, PLA and ABS plastic, vacuum formed plastic, vintage ribbon, thread
19 x 6 x .5 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Gram’s leaf earrings, PLA and ABS plastic, vacuum formed plastic, vintage ribbon, thread
19 x 6 x .5 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Gram’s rose pin/earrings, PLA and ABS plastic, vacuum formed plastic, vintage ribbon, thread
19 x 6 x .5 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Gram’s pink leaf clip on earring, vacuum formed plastic, ABS plastic, felt, nail polish
20 x 4.5 x 5 inches
Neckpiece, 2020
Gram’s pink leaf clip on earring, vacuum formed plastic, ABS plastic, felt, nail polish
20 x 4.5 x 5 inches
Brooch, 2019
Baubles from Gram’s clip-on earrings, 3d printed ABS Plastic, stainless steel
3.5 x 3.5 x 2 inches
Neckpiece, 2018
Beads from Gram’s triple strand, 3D printed ABS plastic, string, cord
21 x 6 x 3 inches
Neckpiece, 2018
Beads and closure from Gram’s triple strand, 3D printed ABS plastic, string
20 x 6.5 x 2 inches
Neckpiece, 2018
Beads from Gram’s triple strand, 3D printed ABS plastic, cord, thread, rubber
18 x 7 x 4 inches
Neckpiece, 2018
Beads from Gram’s triple strand, 3D printed ABS plastic, cord
13 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
Installation of the 2024 exhibition at Baltimore Jewelry Center. Beautiful photography by Jill Fannon
Installation photo by Rebecca Strzelec