art jewelry

Material Revelation Exhibition

emiko oye ·

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

It's emikooreware Week @ Lillstreet Gallery

emiko oye ·

At Last! REWARE is now in Chicago, my Dad's hometown and a place dear to my heart as it's where I embraced the idea of making art for a living (and also awakened my desire for New Wave and Alt music of the 80s/early 90s). Lillstreet Gallery is where you can now find my work - they've recently broadened their art jewelry scope in their retail sector and I couldn't be more pleased to be an artist they now carry.

THIS WEEK - December 2nd - 8th I am the FEATURED JEWELRY ARTIST in the gallery. WOOT! From my fashion line to special and brand new Limited Edition pieces, there is a broad selection on display as well as featured online for your purchasing pleasure.

Buy handmade this holiday season - support the artists and art organizations you love!

London calling - it's a small world after all

emiko oye ·

For as widespread as the Art Jewelry field has grown over the years, I'm constantly surprised at what a small world it really is, especially with more and more artists and galleries active on social media. My recent trip to London is a prime example. Per my obsession with artwork by the sculptor Louise Nevelson, we discovered an art jewelry gallery in the antiques quarter that has one of the largest collections of rare Nevelson jewelry. She did not make many pieces and made them primarily for herself, so to come across a whole lot is quite amazing. 

Rewind about 6 months ago, one of my Nevelson inspired neckpieces, dawning 2, gets tagged on Instagram on the @artistjewel page, a gallery that primarily features vintage art jewelry from the 50s-80s. We have a short convo and that is that. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I'm standing in said gallery space, Didier, LTD, walk in the door (appointment only) wearing my jewelry, of course, and the owner greets me with "You're wearing work by that San Francisco artist". HaHa! Glad to know that my signature style has crossed continents! As it turns out the gallery is also a member of the Art Jewelry Forum, so they own the exclusive reware LEGO pin that I created for AJF this year.

The next 90 minutes was a whirlwind tour of the history of Art Jewelry by famous artists, being able to view upclose and personal, even trying on a few pieces, like the spectacular kinetic earrings by Jesus Raphael de Soto. What a treat, my brain was chock-full and spinning by the end of our visit. Didier gifted us a few exhibition catalogs as we walked out, which I'm grateful for as a continued resource.

For anyone attending SOFA Chicago this fall, make a point to stop by Didier Ltd's booth, there are treasures to be discovered!