Paper/Plastic: Contemporary Adornment

Febuary 25 – June 5, 2016
at Racine Art Museum

Sarah Hood
Tree Collar #2, 2011
Sterling silver, 14k-gold, 18k-gold, prehnite, and plastic
Racine Art Museum, Gift of Family and Friends in Memory of Terri Gelenian-Wood
Photography: Jon Bolton

Paper/Plastic: Contemporary Adornment reflects a variety of approaches to using nontraditional materials. Truly, jewelry can be made of almost any material—whatever a person would want to use for adornment, they could. Some materials may be more valuable, durable, or wearable than others, but if the intent is present, most things can be manipulated to be worn.

In the world of art jewelry, this notion was given renewed attention in the latter half of the twentieth century when many artists adopted non-precious materials—such as plastic, paper, fabric, and found objects—for use in their work. While mass-produced modern costume and fashion jewelry made with cheaper materials has become popular, the one-of-a-kind, expensive jewelry prominent in Western cultures is still associated with status and display. Interested in investigating new roles for jewelry and challenging some assumptions, artists found ways to incorporate paper and plastic— as well as other materials—into their practice as they subverted ideas of preciousness and suggested new meanings for adornment.

More About the Exhibition

Exhibition Notes (PDF)

Artists in the Exhibition

Katrin Arp, Suzanne Bucher, Caroline Broadhead, Bussi Buhs, Ramon-Puig Cuyas, Robert Ebendorf, Anne Finlay, Liat Ginzburg, Rebecca Hannon, Arthur Hash, Shiela Hicks, Bryant Holsenbeck, William Honing, Sarah Hood, Nuala Jamison, Esther Knobel, Unk Kraus, Nel Linssen, James Minson, Angela O’Kelly, Masako Onedera, Adam Paxon, Eugene Pijanowski, Wendy Ramshaw, Ivy Ross, Hiroko Sato, Rebecca Strzelec, Mecky Van Den Brink, Roberta and David Williamson, Carol Windsor, Jan Yager