Jan. 29, 2018
MFA Student Pushes Boundaries of Conventional Jewelry in New Exhibit
Jeremy Irvin, Master of Fine Arts candidate, is holding a solo exhibition, Plastic Jewelry, as his mid-thesis project. The exhibition opens Monday, January 29 with a reception from 6:00-7:30 p.m. and is open from 12:00-3:00 p.m. daily until Friday, February 2. The exhibition and reception are located in Gallery 231, on the second floor of Randall Hall, CWU on Dean Nicholson Boulevard.
Jeremy Irvin grew up in Kailua, Hawaii, and moved to Washington at age 17, where he attended Seattle Pacific University. During his first year at SPU, he took a Jewelry and Metals course as his art elective and fell in love. Over the next three and a half years, he took Jewelry and Metals classes every quarter, apprenticed for a Seattle art jeweler, worked repairing silver antiques, and rented studio space at Pratt, all while obtaining a degree in Economics.
Plastic Jewelry is the result of blending Irvin’s fine art jewelry background with the optical qualities obtained by working with plastic, primarily acrylic glass. It is a series of work, composed primarily of plastic and sterling silver, which blends the fabrication methods of fine art jewelry with the unique aesthetic offered by combining acrylic glass with gold and silver leaf. Irvin says that his goal with this work is “to push the boundaries of conventional jewelry aesthetics while still remaining tethered to the discipline's tradition.” The body of work is non-representational, relying on jewelry’s use as ornamentation as its primary role. While many people might have an idea of cheap costume objects in mind when they think of plastic jewelry, the title is a reminder that materials do not have to be used in ways to reinforce the assumptions.
For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact Jeremy Irvin at irvinje@cwu.edu.
IMAGE:
“Concentric Brooch No. 2”
2017
Sterling silver, acrylic glass, gold leaf, silver leaf, charcoal, chalk, rubber, topaz, stainless steel, epoxy resin