ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Tootsie Bell Expert silversmith and jewelry designer By Emily Keplinger
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Photos by Greg Campbell
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fter receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the Memphis College of Art, local artist Tootsie Bell honed her craft into a business as a silversmith/jeweler. Not only can she create a unique, oneof-a-kind pieces of jewelry for her customers, but she can also apply her restorative prowess to polish and restore silver. She repairs all manner of hollowware and serving pieces, as well as statues and other heirloom items at her shop in East Memphis, located at 4726 Poplar, Suite 1, in Poplar Village. Name: Tootsie Bell
Company Name: Tootsie Bell silversmith/jeweler Age: 51 Hometown: Memphis Education/Training: BFA Sculpture - Memphis College of Art Medium: Metal When did you begin to develop your art: Well, I began drawing at a young age, but I would say I really began to develop my art while I was a student at Memphis College of Art. There was a real drive to find yourself as an artist and what you wanted your work to be, and to develop your craft. What was your “aha” moment: There have been several of those moments for me, but I would say the most pivotal one happened when I toured MCA and realized that I could build a life out of what I loved most — making art. How did you find your niche/style: Several things came together for me to help me find my calling. While in school I had a part-time job at a local jewelry store restoring antique silver. While I was there I really fell in love with working with metal, sterling silver in particular.
When I began to explore making jewelry with silver I knew I needed to come up with what I wanted my work to be about and that for me was something spiritual. I wanted it to have meaning and serve a purpose. How do you describe your work: Symbolic and meaningful. Proudest moment: I am really proud of my 30 years as a silversmith and the business I have built. But I would say my “proudest moment” would be when I got the call that I had been selected for a large scale public art piece here in town. It was a nationwide call to artists and my first large scale sculpture to date. The project is installed here in Memphis at Legends Park and consist of three stainless steel and brass sculptures reaching 25 feet in height. Not only was it a huge honor, but after working on small scale adornment for so long, it was incredibly exciting to be getting back to my roots and making sculpture again. Where can your work be seen: My jewelry and restoration work can be seen all over town through customers. You can also find a good bit of my work on my website, blog, and Facebook. Call to action/What else do you want people to know: I would like for people to know that art is an integral part of life. It explores and documents, confronts and inspires, and as Picasso once said, “Art washes away the dust from everyday life.” Art should be respected and cultivated and celebrated. Website: tootsiebell.com Instagram: tootsiebell Facebook: Tootsie Bell-silversmith/jeweler/sculptor
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2017
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