Ruth Reader

OPENING: “BodyWork” features wearable glass jewelry at Bullseye Gallery

cathy-newell
cathy-newell

Tonight Bullseye Gallery presents a series of wearable artworks by nine female artists from around the world. Titled “BodyWork” the exhibit  focuses on the performative nature of adornment and explores the relationship between the work and the wearer.

Featured artists include Elizabeth AroHeike BrachlowJane BruceBonnie CelesteSilvia LevensonErica Rosenfeld, Luisa RestrepoBlanche Tilden, andYoko Yagi. All of these women have chosen to augment their sculptural glass artwork with jewelry making. The works range from necklaces and pendants to clothing studded with glass beading. Keep an eye out for Erica Rosenfeld’s They Loved Their House So Much They Would Do Anything To Keep It (2010). The piece looks like a bandeau style top covered with lustrous black beads, all hand crafted by the artist.  A more discerning viewer will see, upon further examination, a few pairs of eyes staring back at them from inside the beads. Rosenfeld fused images into a few of the beads keeping them well hidden in the overall beautiful work. The piece evokes  materialism and how we become trapped by the promises of the material world.

Featured artists include Elizabeth AroHeike BrachlowJane BruceBonnie CelesteSilvia LevensonErica Rosenfeld, Luisa RestrepoBlanche Tilden, andYoko Yagi. All of these women have chosen to augment their sculptural glass artwork with jewelry making. The works range from necklaces and pendants to clothing studded with glass beading. Keep an eye out for Erica Rosenfeld’s They Loved Their House So Much They Would Do Anything To Keep It (2010). The piece looks like a bandeau style top covered with lustrous black beads, all hand crafted by the artist.  A more discerning viewer will see, upon further examination, a few pairs of eyes staring back at them from inside the beads. Rosenfeld fused images into a few of the beads keeping them well hidden in the overall beautiful work. The piece evokes  materialism and how we become trapped by the promises of the material world.

Watch a slideshow of some of the work that will be on display at Bullseye Gallery.

—Ruth Reader

IF YOU GO:

“BodyWork” November 30th – December 31st, 2011 Opening Reception: November 30th, 5:30 – 7:30 PM Bullseye Gallery 300 NW 13th Avenue Portland, Oregon T:503-227-0222 Website:

 www.bullseyegallery.com

The Smithsonian’s “Craft 2 Wear” debuts in Washington D.C. this weekend

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignleft" width="235"] Melissa Schmidt, Jaqueline Necklace, hand blown glass beads with film slides.[/caption] This weekend, the Building Museum in Washington D.C. will be the site of a special fashion show called “Craft 2 Wear”, a sale and exhibition of 40 craft artists’ work that can be termed “wearable art.” The pieces on display range from fabric to metal, ceramics to glass; and they are drawn from previously juried Smithsonian Craft Fairs. It all kicks off tonight with an “Advance Chance Party” hosted by ABC World News weekend anchor, David Muir. The Smithsonian promises an evening full of wine, food, a fashion show, and first pick at the crafts that will be sold on Saturday and Sunday.

Glass collectors in attendance are sure to be dazzled by Melissa Schmidt‘s bubbly glass jewelry. Her non-traditional glass beads are hand-blown globes, strung together in clumps on sterling or gold-filled neck wires. The beads are stunning on their own, but Schmidt is known to fill these globules with origami and slide film. The string of glass encased slides, illuminated by light passing through, form an interesting narrative. The one she most prominently showcases on her website was a gift to her mother on her sixtieth birthday. The necklace is comprised of over 60 glass globes each containing sentimental film slides collected by her mother. Schmidt makes earrings, bracelets, and necklaces and prices range from $75 to $1500. Her jewelry, along with the designs of 39 other artists, will be on display starting tonight at 5:30 p.m. and will conclude this Sunday, October 23rd, at 5pm. Tickets can be purchased online, at the door, or by calling 1-888-832-9554.

—Ruth Reader

IF YOU GO:

Craft 2 Wear: Advance Chance Party                                                                              
October 21, 2011                                                                                                                     
5:30 pm – 8:30pm                                                                                                                            
Admission: $50
Craft 2 Wear Exhibit                                                                                                                        
October 22 – 23, 2011                                                                                                        
10:00 am – 5:00 pm                                                                                                              
Admission: $5
Craft 2 Wear Panel Discussion: Curating Your Closet                                      
 October 23, 2011                                                                                                                 
 11:00 am                                                                                                                              
Admission: $30
 
Building Museum 401 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Metro – Red Line – Judiciary Square Station