Exhibition - This is How I Remember It - Amy Tavern Jewelry

I have to admit that

when I took a look, it caught my eye.

Then I read the description and it

captured my imagination.

There is an exhibition on view
this month at

Velvet da Vinci Gallery

of jewelry created by Amy Tavern called,

"This is How I Remember It."

 

 

This exhibit is comprised of two separate

yet related bodies of work.

 

 

The first series is called,

"Fabricated Memory: Jewelry Box, 1980."

It's inspired by the jewelry box that the

artist played with as a child.

It belonged to her grandmother.

This imagery conjures up a strong sense of

familial memory and connection.

These are the pieces that

grab hold of my imagination.

 

 

The second series is called,

"Collected Memories: 1974-Present"

and is based on her own collection of jewelry.

 

 

Separate yet interrelated, these series both

relate to the artist’s journey to

connect with the jewelry of her past

and to recreate it as she relates to it today.

As the artist explains,

The jewelry that has come in and out of my life over the years has had a profound effect on me, fueling and sustaining my desire to be a jeweler. These special pieces changed my perspective on jewelry and form part of my personal history.

 

 

Here are a few pieces from the

"Fabricated Memory: Jewelry Box, 1980"

portion of the installation.

One can see she is looking at
repetitve patterns and
dismantling components
into simple elements.

 

 

As with so many personal memories

it's the simple pieces with simple shapes

that we remember most.

 

 

Her process includes a seemingly random yet deliberate

layering, arranging and shaping of design.

It’s interesting to study the modular components

of her pieces and realize that

she is tapping into a personal space

through her work.

 

 

Now, let's take a look at a couple of

pieces from the

"Collected Memories: 1974-Present"

portion of the exhibit.

 

 

The artist explains these pieces as

"materials I have collected and are assembled

in such a way as to emphasize the

impermanence and incompleteness of memory."

Each piece is sculptural and textural.

I admire artists who are willing to

think beyond traditional jewelry design

to create work that is both

personally significant and artistically edgy.

 

 

This artist's work seems ideally balanced for

an exhibition that is one part artistic process

and one part biographical experience.

 

 

I see this work as a celebration of family.

Of connection. Of authenticity.

 

 

This artist is willing to explore

a personal connection to her

work and embraces the depth

of its significance in her life.

Through artist's like her, we all

learn a bit more about ourselves.

It's inspiring.

To see more photos of her work
you can visit her website.

The exhibition runs until
November 30.