Jewelry lecture will discuss connection between art, culture

Jewelry is more than a display of diamonds and gems, but rather a reflection on culture. \nCurrently, the IU Art Museum is displaying the work of sculptor and jewelry designer Marjorie Schick. Inspired by this, independent scholar Tacey Rosolowski will lecture at 6:30 p.m. today in Woodburn Hall on how studio and art jewelers are creating objects that give a new look at culture. \nThe lecture is being co-sponsored by the Department of the History of Art’s Robert & Avis Burke Lecture Series, in conjunction with the IU Art Museum, said Jenny McComas, curator of Western art after 1800. \nMcComas said that Schick is a touring artist. Roslowski, who will be giving today’s lecture, is the curator for Schick. McComas said the lecture will be a slide show and discussion looking at jewelry in a larger cultural context. \n“Rather than creating jewelry to be pretty,” McComas said, “some jewelers want to make jewelry that reflects the culture we live in using non-traditional materials.”\nThe lecture is free and open to all students who wish to attend. McComas said that Schick’s work encompasses a large part of the body. Her exhibit at the museum is wearable sculpture, where pieces are designed to be placed and worn on the body. She said the pieces designed by McComas are not things one would wear in everyday life because they are mostly large cages and frames. \nAn example of how studio and art jewelers are creating objects to give people a new look at our culture is artist Jan Yager, who collects used crack vials and syringes. From these she creates ornaments that capture the urban tragedy of the crack epidemic and link it to the West’s colonization of the New World, said Rosolowski in an e-mail interview. \nIn an e-mail, Rosolowski said futurist jewelers examine the role of technology in life, making ritual objects from computer parts or brilliant ornaments for the new, post-industrial millennium that flash with electronic light. \n“These objects make us appreciate the art that forms a powerful lens, making us re-see our society and culture,” Roslowski said in an e-mail interview. \nIn addition, Rosolowski’s lecture will discuss other aspects linking culture to art. \n“This lecture is a good opportunity (for students) to learn something about another art form,” McComas said. \nTo view Schick’s exhibit or other exhibits, visit the IU Art Museum’s 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday or noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.