Material Revelation Exhibition

WHERE: Cabarrus Arts Council @cabarrusartscouncil
65 Union St S, Concord, NC

EXHIBITION DATES: April 25 - July 7, 2024
OPENING RECEPTION: April 25th, 5-7pm

Material Revelation explores the work of 20 Contemporary Art Jewelers using an array of non-traditional materials such as textiles, dirt, recycled plastic, tin cans, etc. Raising questions such as, "What is Jewelry?" and "What is it made of?"

As a wearable work of art, each of the art jewelry pieces featured in Material Revelation questions preciousness, wearability, form, and style while exploring social and environmental issues through experimentation, and storytelling. Contemporary Art Jewelry as a form of communication takes the viewer and wearer to a new perspective of what jewelry can be.

Sponsored by the Hilliard Family Foundation.

Participating Artists:

Julie Barello
Sulo Bee @sparkle_filth
Raquel Bessudo @raquelbessudo_jewelryartist
Kate Cusack @instakatecusack
Motoko Furuhashi @motokofuruhashi
Fabiana Gadano @fabiana_gadano
Renee Holliday @reneehollidayjewelry
Lorena Lazard @lorenalazard
Andy Lowrie @starbreakr
Rosa Murillo @murojewelry
emiko oye @emikooreware
Nanette Pengelley @hewjewelry
Louise Perrone @louise.perrone
Vania Ruiz @casakiro
Liz Steiner @lrsteiner7
Anna Talbot @annatalbotjewellery
James Thurman @jamesathurman
Jessica Tolbert @jessietolb
Marlene True @marelenetrue
Dongyi Wu @dongyi.w

Everybody's Bolos Exhibition

Jean Genie 50 bolo tie, emiko oye 2023

WHERE: University North Texas
CVAD Galleries, Art Building Room 160
1201 West Mulberry St., Denton, TX 76203

EXHIBITION DATES: February 6 - May 10, 2024
OPENING RECEPTION: February 8, 2024, 5-7pm
SYMPOSIUM: February 24, 2024, 10am-6pm. FREE, REGISTER HERE

Everyone’s Bolos Exhibition is the result of a collaboration between makers from three institutions: Ana Lopez (UNT), Brian Fleetwood (faculty, the Institute of American Indian Arts, IAIA) and Hannah Toussant (MFA candidate University of Georgia).

The objectives of this exhibition are as follows:
To understand the bolo tie's history concerning marginalized groups;
To expand the audience for contemporary makers of innovative bolo ties;
To acknowledge the role Indigenous jewelry artists have played in the creation and development of the bolo tie;
To invite artist-jewelers who have not yet participated in the bolo tie community to bring their unique voices to bear on the format;
To contextualize the bolo's genderless ornamental potential for a world that is increasingly aware and accepting of the full spectrum of human gender.

On a deeper level, this is about recognizing stereotypes, exploring them, and expanding beyond their limitations through the agency and inclusivity of craft

EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Sulo Bee, Lola Brooks, Kat Cole, L M deLeon, J Taran Diamond, Bee Reid, Sean Eren, Teresa Faris, Carly Feddersen, Brian Fleetwood, Motoko Furuhashi, Jonah Hill, Sarah Holden, Chris Irick, Margaret Jacobs, Mia Kaplan, Ana m. Lopez, Vanessa B. Miller, Jillian Moore, Jerome Nakigawa, Wyatt Nestor-Pasicznyk, JJ Otero, emiko oye, Audrey Peck, Hannah Reynoso Toussaint, James Thurman, Aric Verrastro, Gret Von Cannon, Jodi Webster, Ger Xiong/Ntxawg Xyooj

Photos courtesy of Daisha Wright, photographer.

Mobility and Joint Health Workshop with emiko

MOBILITY & JOINT HEALTH FOR WORKING HANDS
NOV 1, 8, 15, 2023    9:30-10:30am PST
Livestream Workshop 3-part series via Pocosin Arts, NC
Cost: $115 

Achy hands, stiff neck and upper back, tension in hips and low back? Concerned about carpal tunnel and arthritis? Learn to reduce these aches and pains while improving your joint health and mobility so that whatever you love to do is sustainable for your body.

emiko oye will guide you through simple routines in the MELT Method using MELT Balls and a resistance band to incorporate as prehab and rehab to boost your studio practice in this 3-part Livestream Workshop through Pocosin Arts. emiko is Certified MELT Method Instructor, Level 5.

Includes access to replays, short videos, handouts and private FB group.
Learn more about the MELT Method

Need MELT Props? Get your workshop kit from my shop at emikooyoga.com/shop

Opening of InterFusion Art Gallery

Excited to have representation of my work in the Southwest with a NEW art jewelry and sculpture gallery, InterFusion Art which opened August 5th in Santa Fe, New Mexico!

Owners Brenda and Glenn Renner specifically curated a collection of jewelry, sculpture and textiles to show the interplay between each art form, the use of unique materials and techniques with designs that demonstrate concepts of support and structure.

I’m grateful to be included with other fellow talented jewelers such as: Luana Coonen, Meghan Patrice Riley, Mia Hebib, Nikki Couppee, Christy Klug, Diana Badalament, Elisa Bongfeldt, Didi Suydam, Kate Cusak, Erica Rosenfeld, Reiko Ishiyama, and many more!

If you find yourself in Santa Fe, you’ll want to make time to stop in and visit!

INTERFUSION ART
150 Washington Ave, Ste 103
Santa Fe, NM 87501

505-467-8081

HOURS:
Mon & Wed - Sat, 11am-5pm
Sunday, 11am-4pm

emiko's episode on For the Love of Brick Podcast

This week I’m the featured guest on For the Love of Brick Podcast with Australian host Greg McDonald! You’ll hear us talk about how I came to use LEGO as my main material, my most memorable LEGO memories, artist process taking a series of work from design to exhibitions, and what is was like working with the LEGO mother ship in Denmark.

Now in their second season, the podcast is for people, young and old, who love LEGO. Greg interviews people from all over the world about their love of LEGO and explores the different ways it features in people's lives. Builders, artists, health workers, entrepreneurs, and everyone in between. For the Love of Brick celebrates people and their unique connections with LEGO.

LISTEN to Episode 9 from Season 2: emiko oye - emikooreware jewelry

A Well-Being Gathering Virtual Wellness Event and AAPI Fundraiser

WHEN: Saturday, April 24, 2021, 4-6pm PST
WHERE: Live on Zoom
COST: $15-25 suggested Donation, $5 minimum to attend
FUNDRAISER for STAND with ASIAN AMERICANS

REGISTER/DONATE

Join us for this special, experiential afternoon with 7 highly skilled women Wellness Professionals, hosted by emiko. During this 2-hour, live virtual event, we will create a safe and inclusive space for people to come together to learn a variety of techniques for self-nourishment and managing stress that are accessible and simple.

What you will experience: Energetic Clearing, EMDR Resourcing, Somatic movement for grounding, Skin Care and Gua Sha, Yoga Nidra and Sound Bath Healing. Six sessions ranging 10-20 minutes each depending on the topic. We hope you'll stay for the entire event - the schedule has been specially designed to benefit your nervous system.

Anyone can attend, best suited for adults and young adults 16+. All skill levels welcome.

This is a fundraiser in support of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Community, with 100% of the proceeds going to Stand with Asian Americans. Help us reach our next goal of $1000 - we have a MATCHING DONOR!

Share our Facebook Event with your friends
See the schedule and learn more about each session.

Registration is Required to attend. You don't need to attend in order to donate.

Wellness for Makers Podcast: Tools for Resilience with emiko oye

TOOLS FOR RESILIENCE with emiko oye
Podcast Episode aired April 20, 2021 
LISTEN

I'm excited to be this week's guest on the Wellness for Makers Podcast with Missy Graff Ballone, talking about my wellness journey and how it has helped balance my artistic career. I've done a lot of interviews over the years, and this is the first one to weave together my passions for art and self-care. I appreciate that she uses this platform to ask me how people can support the AAPI community at this time. Plus I get to plug our upcoming Well-Being event and AAPI Fundraiser!

Missy’s podcast is not only a delight to be a guest on, but I’ve listened to most all of her guest episodes (she started it during the pandemic), which covers a wide swath of wellness - mental, physical movement and pain management, emotional, ergonomic, as well as resources for artists. Not to mention her quickie episodes sharing simple movement tips and musings. 

Mix + Mingle: Conversation with Jewelry Artists on using Nontraditional Materials

WATCH THE RECORDING: https://youtu.be/t2qV8miw4T4

Mix + Mingle: Fun and Surprising Nontraditional Materials in Contemporary Jewelry

April 7, 2021
3-4pm PST
Live Virtual Event

Please join us for a lively conversation on Zoom with Brigitte Martin, Executive Director of Society of Arts + Crafts and five CraftBoston artists (myself included) who all have something interesting in common: We add a variety of non-traditional materials to our work! In fact, “Nontraditional Media/Mixed Media” is one of the top 3 most popular self-ascribed categories our 60 Studs + Drops artists chose for their work in our earring show. Materials as diverse as photography, animal parts, fibers and LEGO. Two artists have even invented an entirely new compound called “Corlite”.

This is worth taking a closer look. Where does the artists’ preference for nontraditional materials come from and what are the benefits – and possible downsides – of using materials other than the traditionally used metals and gemstones? What do collectors have to take into consideration when they acquire work that may need extra care? We hope to give you some answers. Looking forward to spending time together at our informal Mix and Mingle on April 7, 2021.

Participating Artists:

Jessica deGruyter, Found: in ABQ

emiko oye, emiko-o reware

John & Corliss Rose, 2Roses

Chinanshu Sharma, Paarisha Jewelry

Looking back at One World Exhibition - Gallery Loupe

My favorite exhibition that I was invited to participate in 2020, and what will forever encapsule how the pandemic has affected artists globally was Gallery Loupe’s One World: 40 Artists Respond to Covid-19.

Our world as we knew it shut down early March 2020, and Patti Bleicher of Gallery Loupe responded by contacting the gallery’s many artists and inviting us to create pendants to reflect what we were experiencing, how we saw this global crisis. Within a few weeks she and her team pulled this together as an online exhibition and a gorgeous, accompanying book.

I certainly did not make much artwork or jewelry in 2020, but this call got me back in to the studio to create my SUNDAY Pendant and inspired a new offshoot series of work for me that year.

Read this EXHIBITION REVIEW by Makiko Akiyama of Japan for Klimt02.net (I have a lovely feature in it).

ONE WORLD: 40 Artists Respond to COVID-19
Online Exhibition, Gallery Loupe
April 30 - Aug 30, 2020

EXCERPT FROM GALLERY LOUPE’S WEBSITE:

Throughout history, jewelry has often served as touchstones for health and well-being, charms for good luck, or symbols of faith in a better future. The novel coronavirus, with its fearsome implications and daily inconveniences, has brought the international community to a standstill, confronting us all with a common peril, and thereby illustrating just how interconnected we truly are, and unified we must continually be, to fight this existential threat together.

All of the works in Gallery Loupe’s virtual exhibition were priced at $750 or less, with most of the proceeds going to the artists to help them in their time of need.

A gorgeous E-Book Catalog showcases all of the pieces in the show, including artist statements and video clips.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

Annamaria Zanella, Attai Chen, Barbara Seidenath, Biba Schutz, Caroline Gore, Deganit Stern, Schocken, emiko oye, Esther Knobel, Eva Eisler, Evert Nijland, Florian Milker, Georg Dobler, Jess Tolbert, Karin Roy Andersson, Kiff Slemmons, Klaus Burgel, Lané Vorster, Luci Jockel, Lynn Batchelder, Margit Jäschke, Matt Lambert, Millie Behrens, Missy Graff Ballone, Naama Bergman, Noam Elyashiv, Peter Bauhuis, Reiko Ishiyama, Renzo Pasquale, Rian de Jong, Robert Baines, Sandra Enterline, Seung-Hea Lee, Shachar Cohen, Stephen Gordon Holman, Thomas Gentille, Tim Veske McMahon, Uli Rapp, Urmas Lüüs, Vered Kaminski, Yutaka Minegish

Studs + Drops Earrings Exhibition - Society Arts + Crafts Boston

Society of Arts + Crafts Boston is relaunching its retail venue starting March 26, 2021 with a series of juried, online exhibitions, the first one being an earring show, Stud + Drops.

Check out my Artist page on the site , the show runs through May 28, 2021.

See the other featured artist profiles

emiko on The Jewelry Journey Podcast Episode 104

I had the pleasure to be a featured guest on The Jewelry Journey Podcast, hosted by Sharon Berman.
We talk about my jewelry roots, influences and working with LEGO (both the material and the company).
It was a truly enjoyable interview (a sweet 25 minutes or so) and is now available to listen to or download.

Icons at Play: Photo Booth NYCJW20 Experience

INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE via Instagram through Nov 21, 2020
EMIKO-O featured on Wednesday, Nov 18, 2020 via @iconsatplay Instagram

Since year is virtual for New York City Jewelry Week 2020, Icons at Play will present special, interactive photo filters via their IG account @iconsatplay each day of Jewelry Week, featuring jewelry from the Icons at Play Exhibition archives. A different artist will be featured each day. This post will be accompanied by a live link to a story filter incorporating the highlighted piece. The first 200 people to click on this link, get a *one time use* story filter for Instagram to take a selfie photo or video. We encourage participants to post their selfies and hope that through augmented reality we can interact with art jewelry in fun new ways.

HOW TO VIEW THIS EXHIBITION
This exhibition is available virtually.
You can view it exclusively through NYCJW through November 21.

Art & Savasana with emiko-o - NYCJW20 Event

This Program is part of New York City Jewelry Week 2020 “Mind Body Soul”
Art & Savasana with emiko-o: Yoga for Calming the Creative Mind

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 1:30-2:30pm PST
LIVE ONLINE WORKSHOP via Zoom
FREE EVENT
REGISTER HERE

Experience inner calm and spaciousness firsthand in this luxurious Restorative Yoga practice led by certified Yoga Teacher and artist emiko oye. Known for her jewelry made from LEGO®, she will begin this hour-long session with a brief look into the latest jewelry from her empathic series, 2 Be Seen. 

You will be guided through a grounding meditation and a few simple Restorative poses with breathing techniques to bring you into ease. Wear comfortable clothing to keep you warm as you lie on the floor. All are welcome.

PROPS TO HAVE FOR THE PRACTICE:
4-5 Blankets/Large Towels
2 Large Pillows/Cushions or Bolster
2 Hand Towels
Eye covering
Yoga Mat or carpet

RESTORATIVE YOGA is an inward and quiet practice using props to support the body in positions of comfort and ease, held low to the ground in stillness for periods of time. In this deep resting state, your nervous system comes into balance, tension in the body releases, and your brain can rest and repair. It has been shown to lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety and improve sleep. When you are rested, everything is better!

NEW YORK CITY JEWELRY WEEK is the first and only week in the United States dedicated to promoting and celebrating the world of jewelry through educational and innovative focused programming.

NYCJW welcome arts and culture enthusiasts from around the globe to explore the multifaceted jewelry industry through ground-breaking exhibitions, forward-thinking panel discussions led by industry experts, exclusive workshop visits, heritage-house and independent studio tours, innovative retail collaborations, and other unforgettable one-of-a-kind programming created by the best and brightest in the industry across the world. 

Headed into its third year, NYC Jewelry Week 2020 presents the first virtual global jewelry week featuring over 80 events across 5 digital platforms for 7 days. The 2020 programming roster will enlighten, delight and educate an eager audience of jewelry consumers and  enthusiasts. Join us November 16 – 22, 2020 for a week of jewelry programming like no other. 

AJF LIVE: In Conversation with emiko oye & Nikki Couppee

Join me and fellow art jeweler, Nikki Couppee for a conversation from inside our Bay Area studios, talking about our work and what we’ve been up to during these times of COVID and Shelter-In-Place. This is a free, live-streaming Zoom meeting hosted by the Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) and moderated by AJF President, Yvonne Montoya. We’ll be taking live questions from the audience, so please tune in!

Studio visits are a favorite event among AJF members. Who isn’t intrigued by peeking behind the curtain? As more of us are now settling into “shelter in place” mode, AJF would still like to continue its tradition of bringing you up-close and personal with visits to artists’ studios and the jewelry we love. We can do it together, virtually—and we’re opening it up to members and nonmembers alike!

WHEN: Thursday, June 18th, 9-10am PST

Listen to the recording here:  https://artjewelryforum.org/ajf-live-with-nikki-couppee-emiko-oye-0

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Nikki Couppee is originally from Pensacola Beach, Florida and is currently residing in the San Francisco Bay Area.  She received an M.F.A. from Kent State University, Jewelry/Metals, Kent, Ohio, 2011 and a B.F.A. from the University of Georgia, Athens Georgia, Jewelry/Metals, 2007.  Her work has been featured in publications including American Craft, Allure Australia, Marie Claire Australia, Metalsmith Magazine, Modern Magazine, Vogue Brazil, Dailycandy and Lark Book’s 500 Enameled Objects. She shows her work nationally and internationally through exhibitions, gallery representation, fairs and recent collaboration for Paris Fashion Week with the Australian designers, Romance was Born.  Her work was selected for SCHMUCK 2018 in Munich, LOOT at the Museum of Art and Design in NYC, Racine Art Museum, and SIERAAD International Jewelry Fair, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  She has taught enameling and jewelry/metals techniques at Kent State University, The Cleveland Institute of Art and The Crucible in West Oakland.

me and Nikki at NYCJW, November 2019

2 Be Seen Solo Show

My second Solo Show is finally happening after a decade of focusing on my retail business, and excited that it’s happening in my native state of Ohio at Jenna Shaifer’s Ombré Gallery! We’re opening the weekend of the annual BLINK Festival which was very serendipitous to say the least. I’ll be there in person Oct 12-13, so if you’re in the area, please stop by.

If you’re in the NYC area, I’m beyond thrilled that the show is traveling with the Glossy Exhibition (which is showing some of my newer LIPS series) via Ombré Gallery for NYC Jewelry Week 2019, November 20-24.

For 2 Be Seen, I give credit to my yoga teacher Judith Hanson Lasater for inspiring this body of work with her teachings and embodiment of Nonviolent Communication. It has transformed my daily interactions with people around me and I hope to plant the seeds for others to put into practice so we can begin to understand the “other” as we live in divided country laden with anger, frustration and despair.

“Everyone is Buddha or no one is ”
- Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D, P.T., co-author of What We Say Matters

Everyone has the basic human need to be seen and heard – it is a Universal Truth.

How we regard, relate to and interact with one another, especially those with whom we regard as the “other” can have a profound impact. In her new series, “2 Be Seen”, jewelry artist emiko oye invites us through the medium of LEGO® and eye imagery, to experience mindfulness and Nonviolent Communication as simple practices we can implement to create the positive change we wish to see in the world.

Download the Press Release

Learn more about the Exhibition

DETAILS:

Ombré Gallery
1511 Race St
Cincinatti, OH 45202
October 12-November 15, 2019
Opening Reception: Saturday, Oct 12, 4-6pm Meet the Artist!

NYC Jewelry Week
Hosted by Ombré Gallery at 2 Rivington St
New York, NY 10002
November 20-24, 2019
Artist Receptions - Meet the Artist!
Thursday, Nov 21, 6-9pm Official Opening
Friday, Nov 22, 6-9pm NYCJW Opening
Saturday, Nov 23, 4-7pm Friends and Family

LEGO Friends Collaboration - Life Hacks Launch

Last October I was hired by LEGO Group as an "Influencer" to encourage girls to think outside-of-the-box when building with their LEGO Friends sets. Such an exciting adventure! I focused on two of the LEGO Friends girls, Mia and Stephanie and created these Life Hacks projects that speak to each of the girl's personalities. I flew to Aarhus, Denmark to be filmed in my acting DEBUT for the LEGO YouTube channel - WOOT! I couldn't have been happier working with the production crew from M2Film under the helm of Lord Svanborg ;)!

Watch our video collaborations showcasing the finished products and check out the LEGO You Tube channel for more! 

Ho Ho Holiday Savings Week

As you know, I don't do big discount sales, but after last year's flash sale I heard back from many friends that they appreciated being able to finally pick up that special piece of mine that normally they might not be able to afford otherwise. Waiting this year for the dust to settle a bit on the cyber sales noise in my email inbox, I've decided to launch another FLASH SALE that is TODAY ONLY until 11:59pm PST. 

What's in the FLASH SALE, you ask? Off-season inventory, retro REWARE designs and colorways, and pieces that I thought would be hit sellers, but ended up having a small target audience (i.e. clip-on earrings). 

December 5-7th is 20% OFF STOREWIDE when you spend over $60 including newly launched designs for Winter. So if the FLASH SALE doesn't float your boat, wait a day. 

Cherry on top bonus December 4-7th: FREE SHIPPING on total purchases of $125 and up. 

All of these promotions are automatically applied at checkout, so no special codes to forget to enter!

My trip to the Mother Ship - LEGO® in Denmark

Home Base! In Billund, Denmark

Just me hangin' with the girls

Mini Copenhagen

Original LEGO Bricks Patent

Early days of packaging kits by local women

Reject products for girls, you can see why

LEGO Historian gives us private tour of museum

me and my fabulous tour guide, Richard

Lobby of the LEGO Factory!

The LEGO House under construction

Everything is Beautiful here

Where in the world was emiko this summer?! Why, in Europe, mostly Scandinavia - beautifully tranquil, very green, so many happy people (and a bit on the cooler side as you can see by my many layers). And of course they are happy - LEGO® lives here! Billund, Denmark is the original and current home of The LEGO Group and the first LEGOLAND. Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen as a family owned business (that is still so today), they began making wooden toys and  in 1958 patented the plastic brick design as we know it, plus a few extra designs just in case (check out the photo). LEGOLAND came to be ten years later in 1968, really exploding the brand and the small farm town of Billund - so much so that LEGO builds an international airport here just a few minutes away.

After a full day at LEGOLAND (always interesting to roam the park as adults sans kid) we spent the following day on a VIP Tour of the company - as much as allowed since a majority of the departments are top secret! A stop at the company's historical museum was a definite treat as we got a private docent tour spanning the history of the company and it's product lines. Our docent was super enthusiastic and had so much knowledge to share, we could have easily spent all afternoon chatting away on LEGO trivia.  Check out the timeline of LEGO here.

One of my fav parts of the museum was the Wall of Reject Girls Toys. Cool that these are displayed out in the open - like airing dirty laundry for all to see and remember. Inspiration to Let's Do Better! The museum is not open to the general public, but we were told that all employees of LEGO (I'm figuring from the store managers on up) from all over the globe are flown out to headquarters for Orientation and this museum is part of the itinerary. Understanding LEGO Culture is embraced as a priority.

The cherry on top was visiting the local LEGO Factory and witnessing the automated robots and machines pump out rainbow of parts. No photos allowed inside, except for the lobby (cool logo sign made of hats and minif hair parts). Humans still work here, but mostly to keep the robots in working order. Super quiet and clean and efficient and mesmerizing.

We returned to our boutique hotel all abuzz with excitement, across the street from which they were still building The Lego House which opens TODAY. An interactive, play and learning experience for kids that sounds amazing, hopefully they'll build one in the States someday too.

SNAG Trunk Show San Francisco

emiko oye

Brooke Battles

Deborah Boskin

Raissa Bump

Petra Class

Kristin Lora

A jewelry lovers treat for those in the Bay Area - I'll be participating in a Jewelry Trunk Show SNAG Fundraiser this month in San Francisco organized by independent curator Elizabeth Shypertt. Hosted by the renowned modernist metalsmith, Tex Gieling in her historic Victorian home in the Castro district.

I'll be among 5 other local studio jewelers showcasing our work for sale, we each have a unique style and use of contemporary and alternative materials. Artists are: Brooke Battles, Deborah Boskin, Raïssa Bump, Petra Class, Kristin Lora, and myself. Come by and say hi and pick up something special for yourself (or for Mother's Day!). 

Proceeds benefit the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) which is an amazing trade organization I am a long-standing member of and which is a support structure for thousands of artists finding their place in the world of craft. Founded in 1969, SNAG is a nonprofit educational organization with more than 2,000 members worldwide – comprising all aspects of contemporary metalsmithing. Learn more about SNAG

DETAILS:
Saturday, May 13th, 2-7pm
22 Beaver Street, San Francisco, CA94114   MAP

My LEGO® FRIENDS Music Video Debut!

https://youtu.be/0LaXc7bVNUU

Music Video shoot BTS

Jewelry I brought for the shoot

This past fall when I was in Los Angeles for the opening of Beyond Bling at LACMA, I had the most serendipitous opportunity of a lifetime! My husband and I randomly selected a quiet Italian restaurant to celebrate the LACMA opening, and it just so happens we were seated next to two lovely people from LEGO® Headquarters, Denmark. I was decked out in my Winter's Brush statement necklace and soon a conversation sparked about my LEGO® jewelry. Did I have more jewelry with me, they inquired, and what was I doing the next day? Would I be interested in having my jewelry styled on the girl band L2M for a music video whom they were collaborating for the 5th anniversary of the LEGO® Friends brand with an original song, "Living for the Rhythm".

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!! "Is this really happening? - THIS is the magic of L.A.!" is what continuously ran through my head that entire weekend. 

Yes, friends, I did have quite a bit of my newest limited edition pieces with me this trip and I did get to see the girls of L2M get styled out in many of my pieces, getting to witness behind-the-scenes the making of a music video. It takes a village, that's for certain, and I was blown away by the talents of Directors Coco & Breezy, twin prodigies from Brooklyn, NY of all that is hip and stylish, as they brought the best out of the band. Such talent abound!

Chatting with Producer Mads Munk revealed to me "this wouldn't have happened if you had TRIED to go through the appropriate channels at LEGO®, it could have only happened this way". Driving home the fact that sometimes it's all about being at the right place at the right time and GOING FOR IT! 

Watch the "Living For the Rhythm" music video for yourself, both the LEGO® Friends cut and L2M's cut. I get chills every time I watch it and LOVE how they credited me on YouTube - "L2M are wearing awesome LEGO® Jewelry created by Emiko Oye." Make sure to check out L2M's Channel, they are stars on the rise!