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

Penland Gallery Special Jewelry Collection

I have a great little collection of steel and stocking earrings and brooches that will be on exhibit next weekend for the Penland Gallery Annual Benefit Auction.  I wish I could be there!

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/

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

Siamese Connection

 

 

Vessel is a table-top shield that effeminates stee' and structuralizes nylon stockings to contradict material gender.  This piece has not been shown outside of my thesis show, but will be on exhibit beginning this Saturday, July 20th in New York at Brooklyn Metal Works.  The Siamese Connection exhibition is inspired by a water pipe with two openings that is often seen in urban life.  The exhibition was intended to bring together work that has a "collision of two elements or an unexpected branching."  I'm curious to see the exhibition and to finally see the space.  This will be the second show that I've been in there and I thought the work included in the Re-Fresh exhibition was pretty killer, so I hope this show follows suit.

Earrings for the Society of Contemporary Craft

This week I sent a nice big package of ruffle steel earrings to the Society for Contemporary Craft.  Some nice steel jewelry for a sweet steel town.  Go pick up a few pairs for yourself or your sweetie.

Ruta's new necklace

I made a necklace for my friend mike's lady two years ago and the painted steel wire I used just wasn't holding up. I exchanged the yellow painted steel wire for a thicker brass wire that I powder coated with transparent fluorescent yellow. It looks awesome! It's great because when it catches the light just right you can see the fluorescent bits. I think I may need to start finishing brass like this.

Fiber Jewelry

looking this morning at jewelers that use fiber in their work smartly, seductively, connectively or as subject

Eleanor Bolton

Helle Bjerrum

Odelia Liberman

Shira Goldberger

Deborah Rudolph

Heng Lee

Limited Production

So many new items added to my ETSY shop!

Check them out here

Mild Steel and Nylon Stocking Jewelry by Sarah Holden

New work by me.  forged, fabricated and welded steel with knotted nylon stockings. brooches and neckpieces.  More info about my work here.

The struggles to obtain prestige and power are active in my objects.  Utilizing the formats and histories of badges, medals and trophies, my objects negotiate power through material, process and function. Rigid industrial steel is heated to red-hot and through the muscular process of blacksmithing is rendered into delicate and ornate curves.  Silky and fleshy stockings are transformed into structural knotted veins that control and maintain shape and order.  Presenting objects where material expectations are reversed yet opposing materials visually relate works to confront my conflicted relationship of expected power roles.