Come Here, Go Away

Details

• Materials: fur, nails, wood, sterling silver, copper, steel 
• Finish: oxidized
• Dimensions: 3" 

STATE|meant 2020 SIGNIFICANT & POWERFUL Jewelry 

Beneficiary: Feed the Mass - Feed the Mass is a nonprofit cooking education organization (501c3) based in Portland, Oregon, with a goal of bringing people together. They promote healthy eating and inclusion and strive to inspire everyone to cook meals from scratch.

They are the only nonprofit cooking school in Portland.

They offer affordable cooking classes to the community because they believe food education and empowerment are crucial. They engage the community to give back so that people from all cultures and backgrounds can come together.

Artist Statement: My brooch explores the ambivalence we can often feel about connection, and our tendency to desire closeness at the same time that we run from it. We might aim to be appealing while simultaneously erecting barriers, both figurative and literal. In short, we are full of contradictions, wanting one thing but projecting something else. In this piece, I chose the yin yang symbol to represent these dualities. On one side is fur that you are compelled to go up and touch. On the other, a surface of sharp points that you'd want to avoid. To present these opposites in the form of a brooch adds another dimension—creating an immediacy where the wearer and the viewer are forced to interact. Each person plays a role, with the wearer inviting dialog and the viewer being unable not to respond in the face of a curious and provocative piece.