Scholarship & Research
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Item A linear development(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1984) Hoke, Carey Laurence; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Richard HelzerJewelry provides a framework with a long historical tradition. I work within that tradition and find it both comfortable and challenging. While submitting to the functional restriction of the brooch (that it pin), there remain many possibilities to be explored. In this group of pins, I have tried to allow that function to remain unconcealed while still dealing with aesthetic considerations. There is a technical challenge inherent in the making of jewelry which fascinates me. The possibilities for mechanical inventions as well as manipulation of the image are unlimited. Sometimes I emphasize these technical solutions, while at other times I prefer to hide them as much as possible in order to play logic against the illogical. In many cases, the properties of the materials themselves suggest solutions to technical problems, thereby contributing to the aesthetic development of the piece. Tantalum, for example, is a malleable metal which maintains strength and integrity even when drawn out to thin wire. It cannot readily be silver soldered, however, and this has led me to develop other means of connection which then become a part of the visual content. All of the pieces in this group deal with line in some way. In some it is the literal spring tension that is emphasized. The line is pulled around and then restrained. In others, it is a playful disappearance and reappearance of the line that is important. I choose different metals for their color, their degree of strength and resilience, and their ability to support and maintain a quality of precision and elegance. I am concerned also with subtle variations in surface texture and pattern. The hollow forms and packaged shapes possess a sense of mystery because they are enclosed, encased spaces. Many of these soft forms have their source in rock shapes - the solidity and softness, and intimations of an interior space within, as of an egg. These forms contrast with the straight-forward, obvious lines that compose the rest of the piece. Playful and sensuous shapes are juxtaposed with sharp, dangerous looking ones. Patterns are often imposed on or into the surfaces of these organic or less controlled forms. Essentially logical human structures, patterns act on the form in much the same way that the intrusion of man-made structures on the environment can often be very beautiful and mysterious. The word 'jewelry' evokes many images. Fashion, personal beauty, and wealth are most frequently brought to mind as associated with the possession of jewelry. In part, I make jewelry in order to dispell these cliches about the function of jewelry. Jewelry, properly worn, is for the wearer, not the spectator. It has a character and implications, disturbing or pleasant, for the wearer. It should stimulate a sense of intimacy and affinity between person and object. It should contain a sense of mystery and magic, if only in the imagination of its owner.Item Illusions of fabric in functional jewelry(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 1990) Pedersen, Gayle PatriciaThe focus of my thesis work in jewelry design has been form, function, and illusion. The form is the transformation of fabric, both woven and lace, into functional jewelry made from bronze and sterling silver. My intent is to translate the idea of soft, pliable fabric into metal, and create the illusion of fabric. This idea is especially important with the silver lace pieces. The sterling silver pins and necklace of lace embossed metal are translations of several elements. The layers of metal are copies of stiff white lace collars found in fifteenth and sixteenth century paintings. Flat pieces of sterling silver are folded and pinched into tight gathers to create the impression of a ruffle. Several layers of metal are attached to resemble the fullness of the lace collars. The diffusion of reflective light and the negative spaces create an illusion of increased visual depth. The white matte color of the silver provides a strong contrast to the dark area of negative space. The process of leaving silver white imitates the starched lace and stiff doilies used by my grandmothers. The Norwegian women who immigrated to the United States brought only their clothing and jewelry; my grandmother was one. Her most treasured pieces of jewelry were her Norwegian pins of filigree framework, with silver and gold disks. As a child I was fascinated by how elaborate and beautiful they were. Even though my works look nothing like these pins, they have been a strong influence, both visually and emotionally.Item Ceremony(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2000) Adams, Caroline A.According to the artist Andy Goldsworthy, one must feel an “intimate physical involvement with the earth" in order to see nature. Jewelry allows the viewer this intimacy, creating a relationship between human and natural object. The SeedPods bracelet holds up these tiny specimens, allowing us to see the rhythm of their form, and the variations among them. The vulnerability of the organic component and subsequent fragility of these pieces requires the wearers to be conscious both of the natural, and of their own bodies. When wearing the Petals bracelet, one is aware that any slight move could destroy these paper-thin fragments, and we are drawn, consequently, to admire, appreciate, and honor them. Jewelry often blurs the line between art and function, utilitarian and aesthetic. These pieces surround the body, encircle the neck, run down the spine, and embrace the finger and wrist. These parts of the body are our vital lifelines, our primary means of interacting with the world. The pieces are clearly not practical, however, and may not comply with our accepted notions of jewelry’s size, form or materials. Utilizing them in the same manner as we wear mere accessories would destroy them. They change the actions of the body, which no longer runs and hugs and sits haphazardly. Instead, the body moves deliberately, carefully, gently. The mind is conscious' of fragile gems, dependent upon the wearer to be safely carried. What we wear is often not practical. We may refer to it as ceremonial, specific to an event, or moment. The necktie, the four-inch stiletto, the wedding dress with a twenty-five foot train, the veil, the crown, a long slim skirt, a Halloween costume... all of these are clearly recognizable in our culture, yet they restrict movement, limit sight, and otherwise dictate behavior. Their purposes range from accentuating beauty to displaying role and power. This body of work captures some of the ineffable qualities of our practices of “ceremonial” adornment.Item Nature of the human animal(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2011) Hale, April Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Bryan PetersenSimilar to a mad scientist, I combine materials that are not connected in nature. Joining seeds with animal parts or other plants is symbolic of the symbiosis of all beings. Seeds represent growth, death, reproduction, and interdependence. The softness and fragility of much of the work makes the viewer aware of her/his own body and breath. The air we inhale is the exhaled breath of other beings. The frontiers between us and them and wild and civilized are human constructs. I question my relationship with the wilderness. How much am I part of the landscape, and how much do I distance myself from it? Using materials from the local environment is a way to become familiar with the life cycle and the spaces in which I live. I work intuitively, responding to the materials - the way seeds attach to clothing or the bending of willow determines the structure of the finished pieces. The combination of linear structure (taking root and transplants) and plants that seem to grow out of the wall (growths) creates a contrast between what we see as human and natural order. There is an irony to the growths - they are transformed as much as the linear work in that I have brought them into a human-constructed environment and arranged the plants in a pattern influenced by my perception of wilderness. The adornment and sculpture that comprise 'Nature of the Human Animal' are fragile, on the verge of decomposition, but simultaneously carry the potential to renew life through the seeds from which they are constructed and the decomposition that threatens the integrity of the work. Death does not remove life from the world: every end is also a beginning. The physical connection between the viewer and the materials is enhanced by the concept of adornment. We express our beliefs and personalities through what we wear. The viewers can imagine themselves or others wearing the objects, thus seeing the work in an active, sensual, and personal context. My hope is that this will lead to a consideration of the viewer's relationship to the materials and the landscape.