Adorn: Contemporary Wearable Art

Please join me in Chicago for this exciting show!

ADORN: Contemporary Wearable Art
Woman Made Gallery
685 N Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642

This exhibition showcases innovative works that challenge the traditions of jewelry, fashion, and wearable art as both personal adornment and public sculpture. Selections were curated by Yevgeniya Kaganovich, an artist, wearables designer, Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Design at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and head of its thriving Jewelry and Metalsmithing program. This event will correspond with the EXPO Chicago art fair.

September 18th - October 22nd, 2015
Artists Reception: Friday September 18th 6-8pm
Artists Talk: Friday, October 9th 4-6pm

Red Hot Summer Earrings

New Earring Alert! I've found time to make a few things in the studio lately and I'm really into these hot new stick earrings with red stockings.   What do you think?   I'm enjoying these splashes of color in my work.

http://www.sarahholdenmetalsmithing.com/shop/?model_number=1278729

Website Refresh

Oh yeah!  It feels good to add a bunch of new work, news and updates to the website.  I've got a few exciting exhibitions, lectures and print going on this summer and later this year.

If you haven't been to my website in a while, check it out here:

 http://www.sarahholdenmetalsmithing.com/

SNAG Boston Conference Exhibitions

My work will be included in two exhibitions and one presentation during the 2015 SNAG Boston Conference.  May 20-23rd at the Boston Plaza Hotel.

Maia Leppo, Jessica Tolbert and Anne Fiala will be presenting research that they gathered from metalsmiths, jewelers and makers in the field of metalsmithing and jewelry that centers around the spaces that unite and divide the field of metalsmithing. It should be a very interesting discussion.  It's happening from 4:00 - 5:30 pm on Thursday May 21st.  I have submitted a bunch of great info about why I make, how I feel that's different and the subject of motherhood and making will most definitely be discussed.

#thisisabrooch started as a hashtag on Instagram and has turned into a full blown exhibition!  I couldn't be more excited to be included in this show, curated by Emilie Mulcahey and Maggie Smith.  Check them out in one of the Adorned Spaces Exhibits all day Friday 10am - 10pm.  Check out more about #thisisabrooch on their website here: #thisisabrooch

#thisisnotabrooch is a traveling exhibit that is hosted by Platforma One Gallery.  Images of brooches printed on stickers that will be distributed throughout the conference.  I will have a few stickers floating around.  Find them! Tag me on Instagram or Facebook.  I want to see them!

New Earrings

I added a few new earrings to the shop tonight.  It's been so cold in Chicago lately that all I can think about is Spring weather.  Wearing some jorts (jean shorts, obvi), flops, tank top, hair up & a sweet pair of dangling earrings.  Doesn't that sound sweet?  I can't wait...  I think these will be the first that come out once the weather gets warm.

 

Split Ruffle Stick Earrings

 sterling silver/mild steel

Check them out in my shop here:

www.sarahholdenmetalsmithing.com/shop 

Or in all silver....

 Split Ruffle Stick Earrings

sterling silver

www.sarahholdenmetalsmithing.com/shop

Mama Metalsmith Talk

In November last year, I did a studio tour for a few Art & Design Jewelry & Metalsmithing students from UW-Stout who were visiting Chicago for the SOFA Design Fair.  I was excited to engage with students and see my colleagues Masako Onodera and Lynn Batchelder since I was far too pregnant to waddle around the SOFA exhibition.  I was excited to introduce them to my new body of work about the experience of being pregnant.

 

"Areola O Plenty" (brooch)

2014

mild steel, deconstructed brassiere, nylon stockings

 

"Fountains" (brooch)

2014

mild steel, deconstructed brassiere, nylon stockings

 

"From B to D in 3 months" (necklace)

2014

mild steel, nylon stockings 

 

"Swelling" (brooch)

2014

mild steel, nylon stockings

This conversation of being a mom and having an artistic career, and whether or not this is supported by our field is a very interesting, current and relevant topic to me.  I have to be honest, I was very quiet on social media about being pregnant.  I was worried!  I thought as soon as curators, galleries and people with potential job opportunities considered me, if they knew I was pregnant, the decision would be made for me. "Oh, she probably won't be able to do it.  She's pregnant, ya know."  The last thing I want is to not engage with the field any longer.  Whether people knew and continued make me offers, or they didn't know and made me offers, whatever I did worked and I was still receiving invitations and acceptance into shows and opportunities.  I still wonder if I had been more open about it, if I still would have been invited.  This is why I feel the need to start this conversation.  I WANT to be a mom and be a participating artist.  I WANT to be the one who makes the decision about whether I can participate, travel or teach.  I don't want those decisions to be made for me, just because I have family commitments now.

There are SO MANY women that populate the field of Jewelry and Metalsmthing right now, why are we talking about this more?  Many of the fine institutions that nurture our future leaders are run by women.  Yet so many of them (that I have had conversations with) are hesitant to start a family because of the time they are required to put towards their institution, practice and exhibition schedule.  This is, of course, not a problem specific to our field.  Women in the US have to decide at some point if they can have a successful career and a family.  Unfortunately, that time when your career is really starting tends to be right around the same time our fertility might be at its peak.  Why is that?  Why couldn't we have kids into our 60s or 70s like men?

For all you moms out there, moms to be, or ladies considering momhood,  I thought starting the conversation about how I am making the mom/career balance work for me might encourage you to ask questions and tell me how it is working for you.  I don't think this is just one conversation, so I would love to hear from you!  In the mean time,  I would like to start a series about my work, my daughter and my practice.  I think we'll call it Mama Metalsmith Talk.

First off...it's hard!  Negotiating my practice, my husband and my daughter....that life balance, it isn't easy!  I recognize that I am so lucky to have a supportive partner.  That doesn't mean that I don't work my ass off.  Before Hazel came around, I had three jobs.  I worked 30 hours a week for another artist, taught classes at two art centers, then there was my practice (making work for galleries, exhibitions and trade shows).  About 4 weeks before Hazel was born, I stopped making work, stopped going to the studio and just laid low, which was hard because I am a worker!  I enjoy working on several things at once, so this "break" was surprisingly hard for me.  Hazel was born and I was totally sucked into her awesomeness.  However, after six weeks of baby, I had to get back into the studio. For me, I find that I have to carve out that time for the studio, or just "getting to it," never happens.  It was very clear to me that I had to create a schedule to outline my studio time in order to make sure there is always time set aside for me to make my work. For now,  I have stopped working for others and commit my time exclusively to my practice and my family.  What does that look like you ask?  A little something like this...

 

Hazel in the studio

Monday - Friday
6:30 am - wake up and feed the baby (ugh!  so early!)
7:00 - 8:00 am - exercise (daddy watches the baby)
8:00 - 9:00 - shower/breakfast (daddy goes off to work)
9:00 - 10:00 - get baby ready & get to the studio!!
10:00 - 3:00/4:00 - get 3 or 4 stretches of work time anywhere from 40 mins to 1 hr, separated by baby cuddles, feeding, changing & hanging out.
4:00 - 7:00 - head back home, hang exclusively with kiddo, make some dinner, put kiddo to bed, daddy gets home at 7pm
7:00pm - 10:00pm - head back to studio to get some late night solo work done, or computer time

Saturday & Sunday
7:30/8:30 - wake up with baby
10:00am - 5:00pm - studio time.  Get all the super noisy/messy or complicated work done while daddy hangs with baby at home.

At least this is what it looks like now!  I am very well aware that baby can change at any point and throw the whole schedule off.  That being said, having a schedule gives me something to stick to and ensures that both daddy and I get things done that we need to get done.  The hardest thing?  Motivating myself to leave the house everyday!  It's so easy to just stay home, especially when you live in a snowglobe of a city like Chicago.

 

Would love to hear your comments!  Especially if you have any secrets about how to make it work!
xoxo - Sarah

New Year, Back at It

Hey Everyone!  Are you still out there?  It's been a loooooong time since I posted.  What can I say?  Posting on Instagram is really, really easy.  

Well, I'd like to try to post some more on here, and it seems like you all are watching the blog, so I should keep it up, right?  Well, since JULY two years ago (when I last posted...whoa!...embarrasing).  There has been A LOT going on.  Big News this year is that I had a little girl named Hazel (she's amazing) AND I have finally taken the leap and I am a full time studio artist.  It's crazy.  It's been 4 years since I graduated from school and its finally time to do this thing on my own.   I'm pumped!  First off...here's Hazel

I mean COME ON!  Can she get any CUTER?  Annnnd here is our family now.  I'm pretty stoked.

So, are you still out there?  Are you still paying attention?  Give me a shout out if you would still like to see me post some things.  Here are a few of my favorite things on my website right now, just in case you are looking for anything super sweet for your sweetheart.

 

The Design-It-Yourself! Necklace - Necklace has

three different pinbacks so the shape of the necklace can 

be changed depending on the shape of the collar of your 

shirt.  Made of Sterling Silver and Mild Steel.

Design It Yourself Necklace 

 

The Classic Cube Cufflinks - These are as basic

as they come, but if your fella is anything like mine, the

more simple the better.  That way he can wear super funky

shirts and not clash, right?

Classic Cube Cufflinks 

 

Solid Steel Curl Hoops - These are some of the newest pieces

I've made.  The mild steel is all welded together with a 14 karat

gold ear wire. They are super lightweight and I love how visually 

chunky they are without being heavy.  I'm pretty obsessed with these

Solid Steel Curl Hoops 

 Hopefully talk to you again really soon!

xoxo

Sarah

Chicago Research

I love stumbling onto new work by artists I love and new artists all together. I was recently wandering around the Chicago Cultural Center, for reasons completely unrelated to art watching I found this great show with the work of metalsmith and jeweler Kiff Slemmons, and sculptor Diane Simpson.

What I know of Slemmon's work is her metal piecess fabricated around found objects (my favorite being a ruler). The show currently running at the Chicago Cultural Center, "Pride of Paper/Orullo en Papel," is a very large collection of paper constructions (both jewelry and sculptural objects) that were collaboratively made between Slemmons and workers of the mountain village of San Agustin Etla, in Oaxaca or southwest Mexico. Originally Slemmons was invited in 2000 to be an artist in residence at the Arte Papel Oaxaca, a workshop founded in 1999. Paper making has a rich history in this region, since it was deemed blasphemous by Spanish conquistadores and paper making machines were mostly destroyed at that time, so very few still exist. Since 2000, Slemmons has made her way back to Oaxaca to continue working on the project and continues her work with the paper making

What is beautifully shown in the show is the process of making these pieces. Each piece starts from a since piece of paper that is 16" x 20" and cuts and folds are made to follow the intended design. For the exhibition you walk in a see the large sheets of white paper on the wall with each of the fold and cut lines laid out, so you can get a feel of the process.

Then presented next the papers in cases were the papers that have been cut and folded into their intended constructions.

(sorry these pictures suck, didn't want the guard to see, so I wasn't able to adjust the white balance)

I totally sneaked these images, and was quickly busted once I moved into the room where all the same white constructions then had color. The information said the white constructions (by this I mean the pieces made from white paper) were considered to be "bone" or internal structures while the papers made with color were considered to be "skin," although I found them to be strikingly similar with maybe one or two exceptions. I wasn't able to get many images of the colored pieces before being kindly asked to put away the camera, but I really enjoyed how they were displayed on the wall, as the artist notes, "sculpturally." I wish there was a catalog for the show but there wasn't.

It was nice to discover this show, and to realize that Slemmons is a Chicago artist. Another Chicago artist whose work was on display on the 4th floor of the Chicago Cultural Center is Diane Simpson. Simpson has been making work since the 1970s, referencing the architecture that alters the shape of the body. The objects she has chosen mostly fit the female body (makes sense considering the majority of objects made for body modification are for the female and not the male body), however she does offer a pair of shorts and a workbelt that comment of male bodies as well. What I loved about this exhibit was how precise each piece was.


Simpson's objects made from architectural materials considered both perspective and objectness. Simpson states she is not trying to create a replica or exact representation but an interpretation. I really enjoyed seeing her oldest work of cardboard structures protruding from the wall as they matured into these free standing garment structures towards her current desire to make backdrops for the garments. At the end of the show you get to view the catalog and see that the Racine Art Museum commissioned the retrospective and the backgrounds were inspired by the RAM's windows. Each of the dresses and their complementary window dressing environments fit perfectly into the windows that outline the perimeter of the RAM's museum space.

Since each of Simpson's pieces are carefully designed, drawing is another very important element of each piece. Aside each piece was her large scale grid paper, draftman-esque drawings. This made me really want to pick up my drawing game. I just really loved the intracasies of each one, in pencil with measurements on them. Very nice. I love that the drawings became a big part of the show.

Nostalgia

A shot into the wisconsin metalsmith's studio, 1926.