emiko-o reware

For all you wanting to get your crafting fix on, join our Accessorize with Toys! Workshop at the CA Academy of Sciences March 18, 6-10pm. Part of the Academy’s weekly NightLife Thursdays (a club-like atmosphere with DJs), this one highlights SCRAP who is sponsoring us to do our Charmed! bracelet project. Shana and I are bringing primo game and toy parts, so come on out and make a super fabulous charm bracelet! Other SCRAP projects will be masks and cards from recyclable materials.

DJs on deck are shOOey, playing house and breaks, and shissla of SpaceCowboys. Sounds like a booty-shaking time to be had.

Take note that this is a 21+up event, and tix are $12 general admin, $10 for museum members. Best to get tix in advance, I hear that these Thurs. night events can sell out. Get tix here.

charm bracelet by Shana Astrachan

What a full, fulfilling day at Miami University, Ohio! After 5 hours of driving through a typical NE Ohio snowstorm (well at least through Columbus), we arrived Tuesday to the picturesque town of Oxford, home of Miami University. Not so used to major snow down here, they had actually shut down campus early. I guess it’s all relative; seemed like a tame Syracuse winter day to me, but not everyone has had an arctic college experience.  Anywho, check out these street banners! That top image look familiar? Yes, it’s a closeup of my Duchess 2 lego necklace! Fantastic; I’ve already got a good word in to get one of those at the end of the show in July. Wouldn’t it make a wonderful tote bag, or even just hang in the hallway!!!

This morning’s workshop “Top 10 Tips for Post Grad Success” was a small but serious group of metals grad students (led by Susan Ewing), who were super attentive and eager for the info. I managed to cram my 4.5 hour workshop into almost 2 hours. Did a few less interactive segments and flew through the info. Gave them their Resource packet, updated with a Green section including Christine’s “Making Eco Friendly Choices” article from Art Jewelry magazine, May 2009.

Had a great discussion at lunch with Curator of Exhibitions Lena Vigna (soon to be Curator of Exhibitions at Racine Art Museum, WI!) and Associate Dean of Fine Arts and Metals Chair, Susan Ewing (talk about major multi-tasking in the workplace). She’s taking her students back to Prague with her this summer, those lucky devils, it sounds so inspiring (i want to go to there).

The Adornment and Excess Exhibition is really worth visiting Miami (wait til spring, though) and the Miami University Art Museum is quite the facility with a very gracious, welcoming staff and a HUGE permanent collection (Syracuse didn’t even have anything like it on campus). My pieces were displayed right up front along with looping digital images on the imac of people wearing my work.
Across from my work is Harriete’s set of 3 recycled tin bracelets: Prestige, Value, and Identity.
One of my favs is a series of repurposed/transformed costume jewelry by Meg Drinkwater. She takes masses of pearls, vintage costume jewelry and encases them from behind in resin into solid, massive  necklaces. Makes me want to do more of my own Radical Jewelry Makeover!

Speaking of which, RJM has a presence in this show, smartly done with not only finished jewelry pieces from past RJMs around the country, but a huge wooden bin of “raw” materials (old junk jewelry) and a video installation with interviews from participants and organizers (see image below). And to my delight, Christina Miller, co-founder of Ethical Metalsmiths and the RJM was present at tonite’s lecture! She now resides in Oxford. Talk about small world! RJM is gearing up for Australia this summer! Check out the RJM blog for the latest updates!So much smart work, I would be remiss not to mention the performance metalsmith, Gabriel Craig, who will be concluding the events at MU on Earth Day this April bringing his Pro Bono Jeweler interactive performance to the Shriver Center (student center). Here in the exhibit plays 2 of his street performances as well as some of the polymer clay “freebie” rings made during the event. Check out his blog, Conceptual Metalsmith to see his latest street video, The Gospel According to Craft.

Shari Pierce Cardboard Democracy

In the spirit of trash into treasure, the work of Shari Pierce and her Mi Casa Su Casa /Cardboard democracy series is a well-executed display. The larger than lifesize, recycled cardboard necklace hangs suspended in the middle of the space (begging the viewer to get as close as they dare) with large photographs on the wall behind of the environments where the materials were collected. Also, her colorful cardboard purses hang exposed on the opposite wall next to photos as well.

Shari Piere's Mi Casa Su Casa

This evening’s Sustainability and Creativity lecture was very well attended by architecture, sculpture, and metals students and staff. Lena Vigna began the evening with an overview of the Adornment exhibition and her process in curating the show. Mary Ben Boham (Dept Architecture) presenting 3 positions on the positives and pitfalls of trying to design sustainable buildings, bottom line being “How are People being served”? Rod Northcutt (Dept Sculpture) bringing the focus on sustainability of materials and as artists being conscious of our process. I spoke last, speaking to how I work as a recycling artist and my progression from using jewelry as an outlet of personal Expression, to sharing it as an Experience on a public level, to Community outreach.

To round off the evening’s discussion, Curator of Education, Cynthia Collins gathered us up for an intimate round table discussion, which was led by grad student Lisa Wilson, the opening question being “What is the creative person’s role in moving a community towards sustainability?” Is it a grass roots movement or does success come from the top down? All of the above, but how can we instigate change? What small step can each person do towards living a more sustainable lifestyle? Ironically, people mentioned San Francisco multiple times (not me, by the way) and the mandates being given to get residents to comply such as citywide composting, elimination of styrofoam and plastic bags in stores. Realistically, people need to be threatened with fines in order to bring about citywide compliance (and still I find myself constantly resorting the misplaced trash/recycling/compost at work and in the neighborhood). Cynthia made an astute remark that got everyone thinking: last year’s Federal Mandate for HD TV. When is the last time that something was required by everyone on the Federal level? And to boot, there were no riots in the street, rather lots an lots of CRT screens and electronic waste. What does that say about our culture? It would be my wish to see recycling become a federal  mandate as well as federal subsidized organic farms. I’m curious, if people were asked what they value more their TV or  their health and grandchildren’s health, what would the nation as a whole choose?

Last week I took down the Cher the Love tribute ensemble installation that was showcased at SCRAP’s 3rd Annual Art Exhibition. This was only the 2nd time that the entire ensemble has been shown (off the body anyway), and the lovely Exhibition Director, Jenny Morningstar gave me the honors of having it show in the gallery window at the Green Zebra/reMake Lounge venue (SCRAP also had a concurrent show at the Eco Center, where my Snow White collar was shown).

The boa is made from found soda can holders (mostly picked off my street) sewn together with monofilament and capped off with sequins and sterling silver crimp beads. The halter is made from found foam (from SCRAP),  sushi trays which Harriete had saved over the years and kindly donated to my cause, and fine and sterling silver scraps.

Cher the Love Strong Enough Thong was the first piece of the set, made back in 2005 from recycled Plexiglas and fine and sterling silver. My intent was to get into the SNAG exhibition at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but instead I got the fine opportunity to model the entire ensemble in a fashion show at the museum and to Cher’s “Strong Enough” song at that!

Admittedly, these aren’t my best photos, but the best I could do onsite dealing with window glare and a busy background. Essentially I made a plexiglas, half-round rod neck hanger from which the halter and boa were attached and hung from the ceiling. Could have definitely used an accent light to really show it off, but  the venue is not really an art gallery, so oh well.

Can’t complain, cause after all, to my delight, I was selected for a Juror’s Choice Award by juror JD Beltran, conceptual artist and professor at the San Francisco Art Institute! A little birdy told me that my Cher ensemble was one of the few pieces that scored 10s by all 3 jurors!  SWEET!

Here’s a little early V-day love to y’all!

photo by Raymond King

Yep, next week I head back to the motherland Ohio for a special art-filled, emiko-o day at Miami University Art Museum in Oxford. A few weeks ago was the opening for the exhibition Adornment and Excess curated by Lena Vigna. The show runs through July 10 and is part of Luxury, Consumption & Excess, a larger suite of exhibitions comprised of both historical and contemporary objects that investigates the socio-cultural relationship between material goods, wealth and class. Some of My First Royal Jewels will be on display, as well as work by Harriete Estel Berman, Francesca Vitali, Kathy Buszkiewicz, Gabriel Craig, Anya Kivarkis, just to name a few.

exhibition announcement

Earlier last year, Lena co-authored with Namita Gupta Wiggers the article Mining History: Ornamentalism Revisited for Metalsmith Magazine, in which my Queen Margherita was the title image. I caught up with Lena at the recent American Craft Conference in Minneapolis last fall in the midst of my blogging for SNAG, and offered to visit during the run of the show.

Lo and behold she invited me to participate in a special round table discussion on Creativity and Sustainability that she is moderating Feb 10th, 6:00-7:30pm. Professors Mary Benedict Bonham (Dept Architecture) and Rodney Northcutt (Dept Art) will be speaking as well as Graduate Student Lisa Wilson. I’m excited to bring my experiences to the table! The event is open to the public, so please come if you’re in town.

Check out this article by Deniz Nural in Feb 2nd issue of The Miami Student (online and print) about the exhibition – my necklaces are in the accompanying photo. Can’t wait to see the show!

Well, well, I’ve been a bit slow on the uptake for jumping into the new year; all that sleep during Christmas and New Years is quite addictive and hard to give up so quickly. How did a month go by already (answer: many rainy nights cozy in bed ravishing the Twilight series….)?! Time to get back on the art train before laziness slips in. So many shows this past fall/winter, I’ve missed a few in these posts; catch-up time.

So, one of the most recent exhibitions happening now is Transmutations: Material Reborn at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (image above is from HCCC website). Curated by Susan Sloan, the artists were selected from the book she juried, 500 Plastic Jewelry Designs which was published this past fall by Lark Books. Lovely book and I only wish I could see the show in Houston. Luckily many other metalsmiths will get the chance to see it during the SNAG “going to Extremes” conference in March.

UPDATE:  the Houston Press posted this on Feb 5, 2010

eventful houston Transmutations

In the meantime, I’m enjoying seeing my LEGO necklaces images used as PR for the show. Too bad the red and white Cartier Blanc is not in the show after all (it sold during Sienna Gallery’s show So Fake They’ll Think It’s Real).

HCCC website

Here is the blurb about the show from HCCC’s site:
“Curated by celebrated jeweler, Susan Sloan, TRANSMUTATIONS:  Material Reborn showcases 28 international jewelry artists who transform materials, such as resin, latex, rubber, vinyl, and thermoplastics, into outrageous jewelry and wearable art.  The exhibition includes pieces meant for everyday adornment as well as those that make a larger-than-life statement—some of which are created in combination with more conventional materials, such as gold, silver, pearls, and gemstones.  Stop by the Artist Hall at HCCC to see this stunning array of wearables made from plastic Lego toy parts, precious materials, and found objects!”

Modern Luxury Houston

violette femme pendant and earrings

I’ve been cranking jewelery at the bench this last month to get ready for the holiday season, in particular for the SFMOMA Holidaze Craft Fairs that I’ll be selling at these next 2 Saturdays before Christmas, Dec 12 & 19, from 11:30-5:30. All proceeds go directly to the artists which is fantastic, but means that I can only accept cash or checks, not credit cards, boo hoo. ANYWAY, I’m excited to show my new KIDS line of bracelets ($15-$35) and new Pendants (shown in the photos here, $45-$55)  that have a more feminine flair with a tiny silver chain and just a hint of lego and bling. Come on out to Fort Mason Building A, SFMOMA Artists Gallery, would love to see you!

tire pendant & Mod earrings

Can I tell you again how much I LOVE S.C.R.A.P.! Not only are they doing another annual recycled art exhibition but TWO Exhibitions at the same time! Crazy people but spreads the love out I suppose. Titled Revisions: New Creations from scrap both shows run Dec 11, 2009 – Jan 29, 2010 at reMake Lounge and The SF Eco-Center. Each  show has its own opening reception, the first is THIS Friday, December 11 from 6-8pm at the reMake Lounge/Green Zebra space at the Crocker Galleria 50 Post St. Located in downtown SF  the Galleria is right outside of the Montgomery Station, and walk on the bottom level towards Sutter St.  The Eco-Center’s opening is Jan 14, 5:30-7:30pm at 11 Grove St (across from the SF Main Library).

At the reMake Lounge show you’ll see Cher the Love: Strong Enough Thong in her full ensemble of Soda holder & Sequin Boa and Silver/Sushi tray Halter. She’s proudly displayed in the window against a lovely recycled red cup ceiling sculpture installation. Can’t wait to take a photo and share with  you all, it’s super cool and works so well together. A closeup shot of the thong is also on the postcard! SCRAP uses my images every year, bless em!

SCRAP exhibition postcard

Well that’s it on my end blogging for the American Craft Council 2009 Conference, Creating A New Craft Council. Much thanks to SNAG for trusting Harriete Estel Berman and I in reporting via blog fashion for the SNAG membership and community at large. Also thanks to Object Fetish for promoting our endeavors.

TIP: Listen to interview with SNAG’s Executive Director, Dana Singer on blogtalkradio.com TODAY, Thursday Oct 22 @ 3pm.

Quote by Faythe Levine

This was an energized crowd that has a lot more to talk about now! I urge all attendees to bring these conversations home to your own communities, physical and virtual,  and continue the dialogue about Craft in the 21st century. Ask the hard questions, practice Tough Love.

What do you want to see happen in Craft’s near future?
What actions can we start to take to affect change?

PSST…Want to get in on the conference buzz? Wait no longer and sign up for SNAG’s 2010 Conference, Going to Extremes, March 10-13 in Houston TX.

Creating A New Craft Culture SAT 4:30 PM
Conference Conclusion: Craft as Subject, Verb, and Object
Panel discussion: moderator Sonya Clark (chair, Virginia Commonwealth University); panelists (in order of appearance, below): Stephano Catalani (curator, Bellevue Art Museum), Jean McLaughlin (director, Penland School of Crafts), Lacy Jane Roberts (fiber artist {amazing knit pink barbed wire}, writer), Andy Brayman (founder, Matter Factory), Garth Johnson (teacher, blogger, Extreme Craft, artist), Brent Skidmore (director, UNC Asheville Craft Campus Initiative, artist)

Conclusion Panel

This presentation was an unexpected highlight and perfect end to the weekend’s events, surprising in that it turned out to be a panel discussion (instead of just Sonya Clark) on how the conference went overall and people’s wish for the advancement of craft.

Sonya Clark

Earlier in the conference, Sonya handed out green Survey forms to all attendees, a yes/no questionaire of 35 questions aimed at understanding the current Direction and Definition of Craft. She collected the surveys (over half the attendees completed surveys) at the end of Friday’s sessions, tabulated the percentages, and in this panel presented us with the results, finding the questions with nearly tied yes/no answers to be the more telling.

Here are the questions voted Most Important by the attendees:
-Is the interface between craft, design, and art moving in a positive direction? Yes: 89%   No: 11%
-Should craft become the example of critical-making (parallel to critical-thinking) in our culture? Yes: 84%   No: 16%
-Do you value craft that embraces its history and then challenges it?
Yes: 72%  No: 18%
-Does craft need to expand its definition to be more inclusive?
Yes: 58%  No: 42%

Here are the questions where there was “slippage” and would be worth investigating further:
-Is the ubiquity of the craft media in the world a hindrance to its market value? Yes: 41%  No: 59%
-Has the academic craft community abandoned the traditionally educated craft community Yes: 50%  No: 50%
-Do you value the contributions of traditionally or non-academically trained artists in the field? Yes: 50%  No: 50%
-Do you see the  preservation of craft traditions as a forward-looking strategy? Yes: 45%  No: 55%
-Do you describe something as “craft” depending on the narrative of the object? Yes: 52%  No: 48%
-Does craft mean too many things to be useful? Yes: 46%  No: 54%

THE PANEL’S VIEWS
Sonya did well in choosing panel members who represented craft across many realms from museums, academia, writers, DIY and traditional crafters. She asked the panel to answer a couple of questions based on how they felt about craft now at the conference’s conclusion. Here is what they said (panelists’ remarks are labeled by their initials):

What are 2 wishes that each of you have for the Future of Craft?

SC: 1. Have more discussions..without feeling Passive/Aggressive. 2. Be more grounded in the Present, not so focused on the Future.

JM: 1. How do we have debate as a group.
2. …desire for more time for reflection, for making with wonder

LJR: Expand craft into the Humanities in schools…have it inform your making.

AB: 1. To allow & celebrate the Diversity in the field.
2. Pair Sustainability with Material Science.

GJ: 1. More engagement with Design (as seen in Europe currently).
2. Hope that craft doesn’t get defined more strictly.

BS: 1. Never entertaining the thought of craft being dead.
2. An active and engaged ACC.

What question do we need to address for the future?

SC: Keep working on this idea of Community & how it expresses the time in which we are living.

JM: More research & understanding the pulse of the artists, and what’s going to happen to artists’ estates.

LJR: How is what you’re making engaging others and how is it living these multiple lives?

AB: Reflect on how we’re spending our time and what’s really important.

GJ: Inclusivity with DIY

BS: Will future ACC conferences become a group of regional conferences? How do we build a Bridge to the Next Generation?

Creating a New Craft Culture SAT 3 PM
The Case for Conservatism with Garth Clark

I apologize for skipping over some of the weekend’s presenters; you can catch more on Natalie Chanin, Robin Petravic, Julie Lasky, and Lydia Matthews on Harriete’s blog. I may do a sound-bites post at the very end of my ACC conference reporting to include some of these folks.

Garth Clark

But time is of the essence and I’m sure you’re all chomping at the bit to hear the dirt on Garth Clark’s presentation, the title of which is elusive and a bit dull. He admitted to being a bit confused as to why he chose “The Case for Conservatism” title 9 months ago.

If you’ve done your homework in listening to (or attended) Garth’s previous controversial talk at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, OR, “How Envy Killed the Crafts Movement” (hear the podcast on MCC’s site in 2 parts, or order the transcription online through MCC), then you will have already heard the paper he read to us, “Palace and Cottage”. In the paper he urges craft makers to return to a cottage industry/grass roots model, to rebuild it from the bottom up and address social issues. He called out the classism and elitism that has been brewing between ACC and the “Craft Nation” as he refers to it. And calls out ACC on the conference’s theme, bemoaning, “Why are we looking for a NEW craft culture?” that it’s “ludicrous to be looking for something over the hill” or to “create a new Bubble” in today’s ecomony. No holds barred on accusing ACC of floundering purposeless and missionless for the last decade. I’ll admit that up until now I didn’t consider ACC anything more than a magazine, an archive, and craft shows; but there are glimmers now that it can have a new life and purpose if the desire and drive are there.

ON BURNING MAN

Burning Man

Garth cracked me up when he opened his talk about his trip to Burning Man and how he lost 10 lbs. of discarded cynicism towards craft. How incredible it was be there and experience the endless amount of amazing craft being made without [financial] agenda, from fire-breathing dragon cars to structures made from repurposed materials  (my favs have always been the Temples made from wooden puzzle refuse, see below). “I believe in a Craft Nation“, he said, but admitted that an idealized, anti-money, communal lifestyle is of course not realistic in a market-driven, capitalistic economy. He did relate BM to the DIY culture (naturally there are many cross-over groups in this comparison) in how both “take us back to the rituals of daily life; a life experience…we’ve turned craft into a gallery experience (he admits to playing a role in that during the 80s bubble).” Best to “keep the boundaries open and not be hostile“, for the DIY movement is “transient, a youth expression and certainly not a threat to the craft community at large“. Yes, maybe if we say this enough times, it will finally sink in….

Temple of Joy (photo: Maurice Fitzpatrick

THE SOLUTION
What is the next step, what can we do to Save Craft? Garth suggests Art Advocacy at the Federal level, and sooner rather than later before the federal monies are bled dry. Yes, lobbying is messy, expensive, and takes lots of organization and commitment, but we have to ask ourselves the greater question of “Can we afford to [continue to] go unrepresented [in government]?” Not only getting funding for organizations and communities, but for more protective legal rights, tax issues and ways to make running a craft studio a more viable lifestyle.

An effective advocacy model to study is what Western North Carolina and the Center for Craft, Creativity, & Design did to help save craft in that region and give craft a voice in state government. The power of the collective does work. A leader at CCCD suggest we “challenge others to step out of their studios and get involved in community.”

The great thing about Garth’s talks is that they get people riled up about something enough to continue the discussion in the outside world.  I’m a big believer in Tough Love; criticism may be painful while it’s happening, but if it’s coming from a place of genuine concern it is often just what the doctor ordered: a catalyst for change.