In anticipation of the Walker’s Jewelry & Accessory Makers Mart this Saturday, we’re highlighting a few of the 25 jewelry and accessory artists whose hand-crafted designs will be on display.
Jewelry artist Claire Abitz creates jewelry and sculpture that incorporate geometric styles and emphasize the histories that surround the materials.
Describe your hometown. Did you have any jewelry-related influences as a kid?
I am an artist based in Hortonville, Wisconsin. I grew up nearby in a very handy and creative family, so my interest in trades as well as fine art started at an early age. I decided to study sculpture at Savannah College of Art and Design, graduating in 2011.
How would you describe yourself and your work as an artist?
I am very interested in functionality, simplicity, and craftsmanship. Whether I am making a piece of jewelry or a sculpture or renovating a space, all of those projects investigate the nuances of form in a similar way; the way one experiences scale, angles, and interaction with light are central to my creative process.
You recently worked as an interior designer in New York. How does that play into your career as a jewelry artist?
After college, I worked for a number of artists and galleries in New York before settling into interior fine finishing. I dove into gold leafing, decorative plastering, and wallpaper making. Throughout those roles, I focused heavily on the craftsmanship with clean and modern aesthetic goals. Making jewelry is a way for me to combine spatial and material elements in a very small but intentional way.
You also cofounded a gallery in 2016 called Match Factory. Can you reflect on what that process was like?
Match Factory was a big, exciting experiment! I teamed up with Kate Mothes/Young Space to renovate a space downtown Hortonville and put on a few art shows as well as classes and other events. My portion of the responsibility was the initial renovation and repurposing of an old diner space, as well as installing work with the artists. Unfortunately the project was cut short for reasons outside of our control, but we learned so much.
You seem to have a diverse array of experience and skills. Do you think it’s good for all artists to experiment in different areas?
Absolutely! I think different processes inform each other so that is valuable for growth. There was also definitely a time when I was trying to do too many different things and didn’t make much progress as a whole but it allowed me to narrow things down to what I really enjoy.
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Claire Abitz, Two, 2011. Photo courtesy the artist -
Claire Abitz jewelry. Photo courtesy the artist -
Claire Abitz jewelry. Photo courtesy the artist -
Claire Abitz jewelry. Photo courtesy the artist
Incorporating history throughout your work seems to be your style. Can you reflect on this in an example of one of your pieces?
Each piece of jewelry is one of a kind. The materials are sourced from a variety of other workshops so some of the designs depends on the type of wood or leather scraps I receive. For metal, too, often whatever off cuts are available in brass, aluminum, stainless is what I will work with. I enjoy the element of chance. I try to use some metal shapes “as is” as a nod to other trades who have worked with the material before me.
I like knowing there has been another hand on what I am using—whether recently or decades ago. For jewelry, the history is more recent. The wood I use for the jewelry has been cut and dried by a friend of mine, so that element has years of care involved before it gets to me. For other sculptural pieces, like One, Two and Three, I used cast iron pieces of old sewing machines as the foundation for exploring the history of the garment workers union…another trade, which has a strong presence in my family.
Do you ever hit an “artist block” when creating? How do you overcome it?
To be honest, no! My studio/home is in a mid-century former police station in downtown Hortonville. I moved from New York to work on the building four years ago, and between renovations, resident and visiting artists, and local creatives there is always something I am excited to do. I am very fortunate to have knowledgeable people and resources around me and I try to share that as much as possible.
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