"Under The Influence: Contemporary Jewelry, Metalwork and Ethnography"
2000-09-19 until 2001-01-01
Tacoma Art Museum
Tacoma, WA, USA United States of America

Ever wonder the about the artistic inspiration behind your necklace or braceletNULL Every culture has a history of body adornment and object making that reflects their own traditions and environment. Native Americans, among others, created ritual objects that were strongly linked to their spiritual beliefs. Other cultures use objects of adornment to identify wealth, status and clan membership.

In America, these traditions are often lost but are revived in a personal way by contemporary jewelry and metal artists. Within the Northwest there are a number of artists who have taken inspiration from ethnographic traditions and created their own expressions. By using the wealth of images and objects that have had meaning to those that came before, contemporary jewelry artists have created their own metaphors for inspiration.

Our culture is one of increasing diversity, where the individual spirit and identity reigns over a distinct cultural continuity. It is the contemporary artist within our culture who often opens the door for us to explore what is meaningful for us individually and collectively.

Under the Influence is curated by Mia McEldowney of Seattle and will feature the work of approximately seventeen contemporary Northwest jewelry artists whose work reflects an influence of one or more cultural traditions. Selected pieces of their work will be placed next to their corresponding ethnographic objects.

Under the Influence is supported by the Corporate Council for the Arts Guendolen Carkeek Plestcheeff Decorative and Design Arts Fund.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Washington

Other Important Exhibitions in Tacoma