Date of Award

Spring 5-30-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Jewelry and Metalsmithing

First Advisor

Timothy Veske-McMahon

Second Advisor

Lauren Fensterstock

Third Advisor

Maya Krinsky

Abstract

Jewelry has a long history of functioning as wearable objects with memories. A small piece of jewelry on our body can become the bridge between one person and another.

My work is a memorial for the avifauna. It serves as a place that allows me to find the balance between myself and nature. The ritualized actions from the making process help me mourn for the loss of the kingfishers, who are hunted for the bright blue feathers used in traditional jewelry. Sometimes, people put a photograph in their jewelry to keep the memory of the one they love. I use photographs from one day's experience bird watching in my thesis work. Fragments of the photos become a glimpse of the kingfisher, record its life, its existence, and become jewelry that links me together with the bird.

This work is for the kingfisher, but also for all creatures on the Earth. Today, when traditional beauty conflicts with life and love, how should we rethink something we have been doing for centuries? My goal is to show my audience the realities of wildlife’s endangerment that we may not have noticed before and awaken tenderness toward other species by sharing my experience with the kingfisher.

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