Adore | Adorn: The Elsie Michie Contemporary Jewelry Collection Object Guide

ADORE ADORN

OBJECT GUIDE The Elsie Michie Contemporary Jewelry Collection

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1 Harriete Estel Berman (American, b. 1952), Bracelet, c. 1997–2006, recycled tin

1 Emiko Oye (American), Bracelet, c. 2005, LEGOs, rubber cording

2 Mary Lee Hu (American, b. 1943), Bracelet #60, 1999, 18-karat and 24-karat gold

2 Mary Lee Hu (American, b. 1943), Choker #9, 1975 fine and sterling silver and lacquered copper

3 Mary Lee Hu, Necklace, c. 1970s, gold, pearl

3 Romona Solberg (American, 1921– 2005), Necklace, 1990, amber, silver

4 William Harper (American, b. 1944), Pagan Mamu #2, The Scarab, 1979, gold and silver, cloissoné enamel on fine silver, 14 and 24-karat gold, sterling silver, copper, bronze, carapace, pearls

4 Arline Fisch (American, b. 1931), Coral Wreath, 2013, copper wire and sterling silver clasp

5 Frank Tjepkema (Dutch, b. 1970), Bling, Bling, 2003, gold plated silver alloy

This exhibition is supported by our partner sponsor Becky and Warren Gottsegen and donors to the Annual Exhibition Fund.

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1 Wendy Ramshaw (British, 1939−2018) Her Knight, 2002, 18-karat yellow and white gold rings, anodized aluminum stand This ring set with sculptural display stand is the most recognizable form from Wendy Ramshaw’s body of work.

Her Knight was made for Ramshaw’s masterwork—her Room of Dreams exhibition, which featured jewelry inspired by myths and fairytales. This ring set and stand represents a knight of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. A similar ring set and stand decorated with garnet stones represents the Queen.

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1 Colette (American, b. 1937), Cuff, 1979, gold, fine silver, cloisonné enamel

6 Pierre Cavalan, (Australian, b. 1954), Friendship Brooch, 1999, silver, found objects

2 Colette, Calendar Brooch #3, by 1995, 18, 22, and 24-karat gold, rhodolite garnet, rubelite, green tourmaline, cloisonné enamel

7 Pierre Cavalan, Brooch, c. 1990–2000, silver, found objects

3 Colette, Egret Cuff, by 1995, gold, fine silver, cloisonné enamel 4 Colette, Earrings #36, by 1995, 22-karat gold, fine silver, cloisonné enamel 5 Colette, Brooch, from the Procession series, 1981, 14-karat yellow gold, enamel, 24-karat gold accents

8 Robin Kranitzky (American, b. 1956) Kim Overstreet (American, b. 1955) Lost and Found, 1994, copper, silver, micarta, brass, cotton, post card fragment, found objects 9 Robin Kranitzky and Kim Overstreet, From the Heart, 1998, copper, acrylic, brass, wood, antique ivory, paper, and found objects 10 Robin Kranitzky and Kim Overstreet, Wardrobe, 1999, mixed media

Colette Denton’s jewelry demonstrates masterful use of cloisonné, a process in which enamels are outlined in flattened strips of fine metal wire. Colette’s cloisonné imagery features animals and surreal symbols, like the Eye of Providence prominent in her Egret Cuff. Colette also inscribes her works with personal hieroglyphics, further mystifying the artist’s ominous and symbolic scenes.

Colette titles many of her pieces “ideograms,” which typically refers to a non-phonetic symbol, such as Chinese characters or ancient cuneiform. An illness necessitating sensory deprivation inspired Colette’s ideograms. The variation in value and figurative detail Colette achieves through multiple firings (up to twenty-five) and hand-pulled wire is exceptional.

11 Joanna Kao, Escape Route, 1998, sterling silver, 18 and 24-karat gold, coral 12 Kathleen Browne (American), Silent Witness I, from the Sensum Sensorium series, 1998, sterling silver, 24-karat gold, photographic images, and Plexiglas SEE PAGE 13 Lisa and Scott Cylinder (American), Windblown Whistle, 2001, sterling silver, epoxy resin, vintage whistle, 23-karat gold leaf, Japanese-dyed silver leaf, mica powder 14 Lisa and Scott Cylinder, Stone Owl, 2010, vintage saxophone parts, sterling silver, brass, epoxy resin, creek stones 15 Lisa and Scott Cylinder, Dodo Quintet, 2013, nickel, silver, brass, vintage musical instrument parts

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16 Ken Bova (American. b. 1954), Earrings, c. 1990s 17 Ken Bova, Agua, 2000, sterling silver, glass, malachite, hematite, and collage 18 Grainne Morton, Eyepeeper Earrings, 2018, gold,pearls, coral, turquoise, and enamel rhinestone 19 Kathy Buszkiewicz (American, b. 1953), Omnia Vanitas V, c. 2001, 24-karat gold, tourmaline, American currency 20 Lisa Fidler (American), Playtime Watch, c. 1990–5, silver, brass, watch dial, Mahjong tile, coin, dominoes 21 Lisa Fidler, Whirligig Earrings, mixed media 22 David Williamson (American, b. 1949) and Roberta Williamson (American, b. 1949), Way the Wind Blows Through My Hair, 1996, sterling silver 23 David Williamson and Roberta Williamson, Brooch, 1995 sterling silver, found objects 24 Anna Johnson (American), Rodere, 2017, rodent skull, blue topaz, raw opal, 23-karat gold leaf, fine and sterling silver 25 Carolyn Morris Bach (American), Face Earrings, n.d., sterling silver, 18-karat gold, Chinese writing stone 26 Carolyn Morris Bach, Opal Winged Goddess (Daphne), 1991, 18-karat gold, sterling silver, boulder opal, amethyst, carnelian, cow bone 27 Carolyn Morris Bach, Running Rabbit Pin, 1995, 18-karat gold, sterling silver, labradorite, moonstone, cow bone

Many of the found materials artists use are compelling for their previous life—their past use or history—often these are man-made objects. Pierre Cavalan, Robin Kranitzky, and Kim Overstreet are among the most revered foundobject jewelry artists. Cavalan’s work generally stays true to the object. He assembles cheap items such as tourist pins and plastic rhinestones. Conversely, Kranitzky and Overstreet transform the materials they find into new surreal dreamscape forms. Kranitzky and Overstreet, also known as “Lost and Found, began making jewelry together as young sculptors raising funds to purchase a kiln. Carolyn Morris Bach and Anna Johnson incorporate natural objects, which also retain a certain aura of their previous lives. Morris Bach’s objects are worn by women as “talismans”—symbols of feminine strength and energy.

All objects in this pedestal have stories, whether deriving from known allegory, personal experience, or the materials from which they are made.

“ In this body of work I use photographic images of

the human sensory organs such as eyes, ears, and hands. They are images of action–watching, caressing, grabbing, listening. These hand-painted photographs are then fashioned into butterflies, moths and beetles that are to read as scientific specimens, which present themselves for close examination.

Kathleen Browne

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1 Peter Chang (British, 1944−2017), Frill, acrylic, resin, PVC, silver 2 Peter Chang, Bracelet, 2000, acrylic, resin, PVC, silver 3 Peter Chang, Brooch, c. 1999 acrylic, resin, PVC Inspired by exotic flora and fauna, Peter Chang’s striking abstract bangles combine the attention-grabbing, whimsical spirit of adornment with the inventions of space, form, and materiality typically associated with world of sculpture.

Before making jewelry, Chang was a sculptor and graphic designer. His signature style is driven by his desire to design jewelry that exists separately as sculpture—works that are unmistakably jewelry, but command their own space and form as sculpture when off the body.

Chang finds joy in exploring non-precious materials. He found plastic the most satisfyingly malleable, tintable, and even unpredictable material in which to create his biomorphic bangles and brooches.

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1 Anoush Waddington (British), Swan’s Wing, n.d., polypropolene, silver, plastic beads

5 Flora Book, Ammonite Necklace, 1993, silver, silver tubing and nylon monofilament

2 Anoush Waddington, Bracelet, n.d., coated wire, rubber cord, plastic beads

6 Yuri Tozuka, Companion, 2011 fine and sterling silver, brain coral, peridot

3 Flora Book (American, b. 1926) Summer Ruffle, 2003, silver, glass beads

7 Joan Parcher (American, b. 1956) Ball and Hoop Necklace, 1988, oxidized silver, stainless steel cable, 23-karat gold leaf

4 Flora Book, Ring Around the Collar, n.d., glass beads, monofilament 1

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Jewelry must be considered more than sculpture for its unique application to the body. Some forms, like rings and bracelets, closely form to fingers and wrists, but do not necessarily respond to the body’s movement. Other forms, like necklaces and earrings, hang from the body and must account for weight and movement. The objects in this area pay special attention to the wearer’s body. Their makers truly allow form to follow its function.

Elsie Michie’s collection is unique because, unlike other art collections, she wears every single piece. The joy of wearing drives Michie’s collecting—only pieces she can integrate into her daily life are collected.

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Joyce Scott (American b. 1948) 1 On the Way Home, c. 1995, glass beads, thread, wire, fabric 2 Earring set, c. 1990–2000, glass beads, thread 3 Flaming Skeleton #2, c. 1993 acrylic, resin, PVC 4 Earring set, c. 1990–2000, glass beads, thread 5 Necklace, c. 1990–2000, glass beads, thread

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6 Earring set, c. 1990–2000, glass beads, thread 7 Buddha Supports Shiva Awakening the Races, 1993, glass beads, thread, wire, fabric 8 Necklace, c. 1990–2000, glass beads, thread 9 Earring set, c. 1990–2000, glass beads, thread 10 Necklace, c. 1990–2000, glass beads, thread

“ I make jewelry to be worn. And if it tells about scary, icky subjects, then

so much the better for the person who has the cojones to wear it in public.

Joyce Scott

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Joyce Scott’s beaded jewelry and sculpture seeks to integrate art into everyday life. Descended from a family of quilters, crafters, and artisans, Scott’s beadwork continues a vernacular tradition. Working improvisationally with a peyote stitch, she keeps “fun” at the fore of her practice alongside politics that challenge racism. Works like Buddha Supports Shiva, Awakening the Races reflect Scott’s dismay at racial conditions worldwide. She features Shiva, destroyer of the world in Hindu tradition, dancing atop a Buddha. Scott gave the Buddha features of a black man, which suggests the devastation caused by racism.

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1 Emiko Oye (American), Dawning II, 2011, LEGO and connectix, recycled electronic cable, paint, sterling and fine silver This Emiko Oye necklace seems to elicit Star Wars imagery, but is actually inspired by the 1959 sculpture Dawn’s Wedding Feast by Louise Nevelson.

Like Oye, Nevelson’s work utilizes recognizable objects from everyday life—furniture and other wood scraps painted monochromatically. Oye took the all-over white of Dawn’s Wedding Feast as inspiration for Dawning II, which is part of a series of works inspired by visits to the San Francisco Fine Arts Museum.

Although this necklace has “high” intellectual associations, the associations of its LEGO bricks are popular—accessible to all who have played with them, including children. Oye challenges a label of “nonprecious,” by transforming cheap LEGO pieces into a necklace that has the same heirloom quality as expensive silver and pearls.