Native Of Detroit

There is industrial-strength poverty in Philadelphia

," Yager said during a lecture she gave at the museum Wednesday. "I just tuned it out, but it also has beauty. There are many layers, and I just looked at some of them. My eyes are now widened."

If Yager's crack-vial and bullet-casing pieces evoke the violence and desperation of modern cities, then the floral pieces based on patterns of plants found around her studio sound more uplifting themes of regeneration and resilience. One, Invasive Species Tiara, is her version of an American tiara, a silver-and-gold salad of clover, prickly lettuce and other nonnative plants she found in a lot across the street from her studio.

What links the two contrasting halves of the display?

"As the work proceeded," Yager said in an interview, "it became this yin-yang between the detritus and the beauty. Then I started to realize that they were two sides of the same coin, both were evidence of trade between nations."

Yager also sees these objects as a story about their location and her own role as that of an urban beachcomber or archaeologist. Her work has part of its genesis in the time she spent combing the ocean beaches for pebbles and stones to transform into jewelry while a graduate student at the Rhode Island School of Design 20 years ago.

Born in 1951 and a native of Detroit, which she refers to as the "Metallurgy Belt," she has also worked extensively with metal and considers herself first and foremost a goldsmith. She first came to Philadelphia in 1983 for the Philadelphia Craft Show and has never left, moving into the studio she still occupies in a building where 100 artists work. From there, she established a reputation for pillow-form and pebble necklaces.

But as the demands of her work grew, she found it hard to find time for creative invention and cobbled together the resources for a self-funded sabbatical in 1990-91. She researched the history of jewelry in every possible way, immersing herself in reading, conferences and travel.

It was while wandering through a Santa Fe, N.M., flea market that she stumbled across a prehistoric bone necklace that would alter the direction of her work. She was so struck by its power that for a moment she thought she would make bone jewelry.

by: linksjkl

POST COMMENT

Comfortable Knitting Pattern Fingerless Gloves Nairobi Car Hire | Nairobi Car Rental | Kenya Self Drive Rent Benefits Of Designer Eyeglasses Hard Money Financing: How Hard Money Lenders Could Help Your Rei Business Goldvish Revolution With Diamonds And A Swiss Watch - Luxcellphone Cigar Cutters & Types Of Cigar Cutters. Leave The Differences Behind And Make A Call To Pakistan A Winner Poker Strategy! 3 Useful Tips For Elaborate Home Theatre Speakers Install Accessorise Your Hen Weekend Hypo Drive | Hypo Shock Awareness Australia | Responsible Driving Australia One Piece Manga How To Find Coupons And The Most Popular Coupons