My work unsettles the borderline between beautiful and ugly in order to tease the perception of the beholder and to evoke reactions. I find it exciting and thrilling to trigger curiosity and challenge viewers to engage and discover, while simultaneously leaving space for individual interpretation. I believe that provoking this playful inquisitiveness is of value to us because it stimulates and originates distinct conditions, which in turn allow for experiences that we would not be exposed to otherwise.
Katharina Moch

I'm intrigued by the ritual of adornment and I enjoy creating works that force the wearer to make a choice about how they want to put themselves on display. What sacrifices is the wearer willing to make for an aesthetic effect? With "I Always Wanted Claws," onyx talons are placed inside hand beaded caps. They fit snugly on the wearer's fingertips, but hinders the functionality of the fingers.
Vanessa Walilko

Grills Gone Wild is from a body of work that dealt with the appropriation of language as a metaphor for consumption and consumerization. Non-functional jewelry was manifested as a way to draw attention to commodification.
Loring M. Taoka

Tara Nahabetian

The head dress is a take on a wedding veil. It hooks into the mouth forcing the wearer to smile, as well as restrict speaking. So the wearer or bride, essentially become the “perfect” woman; happy and silent.
Kayla Rae Rinne

This piece looks at the way masculinity has been historically portrayed through dress. This “delicate” collar is constructed using a material that in our modern times is often used to reinforce specific images of masculinity, causing them to be normalized. This form of normalization is similar to the colonial mindset from where the collar takes its formal inspiration.
Andrew Kuebeck

I am interested in injuries and how things get covered up through time and generations. Each gauze segment is shrouded with a nylon cloud, then grouped together with more padding added, finally the whole piece is covered. Strands of the final cover come off at its base, branching out like neuronal networks.
Katja Toporski

An examination of the stages a woman’s body undergoes after shaving. They are meant to be publicly worn and to reflect the state of the wearer’s body hair.
Elizabeth Chapman

This piece perches on the wearer’s shoulder. The ambiguity of the two protruding forms that face forward can elicit both revulsion and interest from viewers. It is both pet and parasite.
Jillian Moore

This piece is my response to the war during the Bush administration. Bring the troops home, I say NO! to this administration and its war.

Demi Thomloudis

More often than not I feel "nice" things are meant to sit on display rather than to be used.  I wish I could get my mind around the idea that I am not saving it for something special it just is special and I should be happy using it.  "Candy Rings" is the first piece in a series that looks at the relationship between looking and using.
Christine Bossler

This piece shows both the burden and sensuality of long hair on the feminine body. In the image I am cutting my hair, freeing my body from the physical burden of long hair, while turning it into adornment so I may still benefit from its’ alluring, feminine qualities.

In my piece I've created a parallel between the act of crying and the creation of jewellery. In the image I am literally wearing my expelled emotions on my exposed body, while simultaneously commenting on the vulnerable position the female body is placed in when tears are worn as adornment.
Rickson Salkeld

About the Curator:
Rachel Timmins is a Studio Art (Metals Concentration) MFA candidate at Towson University. She received her BFA in Metal/Jewelry Design with a Minor in Sculpture from Buffalo State College. Rachel has been the recipient of numerous awards including status as a Finalist in the Student NICHE Awards, the Jaquet Award at Buffalo State College and the Dean's Award for Excellence at Buffalo State College. Her work has been shown in many exhibitions and she is commissioned regularly to make custom works.
http://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/racheltimmins