Metalsmithing student artwork will be displayed at the Hixon Student Gallery until Nov. 20. The exhibition, “meta}L{morphosis,” will showcase works of repurposed jewelry, created in collaboration with Radical Jewelry Makeover.
Radical Jewelry Makeover, an organization dedicated to using art and metalwork in tandem with activism, worked with students at Old Dominion University, Longwood University and Virginia Commonwealth University to repurpose jewelry donated by locals in early September.
“meta}L{morphosis” features works from fourteen artists in the Hampton Roads area, including many students at ODU. The show contains themes of transformation, with white butterflies pinned all over the walls and windows of the gallery, surrounding the art.
The individual pieces explored all kinds of interesting themes such as childhood nostalgia, recycling and ethical metalsmithing. The art spoke to how materials from the past can be reused to create beautiful work.
Emma Goulart created “Generational Adornment,” which utilizes earth tones inspired by everyday jewelry pieces worn by the artist’s mother. ODU graduate Megan Obenaus created “Cat’s Cradle,” a loop of string in the shape of a bolo tie adorned with icons traditionally associated with superstitions of luck, such as a black cat and a road runner. ODU senior Teresa Mitchell used themes of nostalgia to create “Sentimental Journey,” by turning a brooch into a decorated hair stick and a necklace into a hand chain.
Other pieces have themes of activism and environmental awareness, such as Jessica Folck’s “Life in a Plastic World,” which depicts microplastics affecting sea life, and asks in her artist statement, “Is it possible that one day oysters will create pearls with microplastics rather than a grain of sand?”
A favorite of mine was Theo Mayberry’s “Eye of the Beholder,” which depicted a string of pearls, a brooch, and a signet ring that explored themes of history and how time passes.
“meta}L{morphosis” will be on display until Nov. 20. In the spring, all the pieces will be available to buy, and the proceeds will be donated to Radical Jewelry Makeover. ODU students should take the opportunity to see the unique artistry of the metalsmithing students and faculty while it is here.
