I have been in search of a team for what seems like forever. Enthusiasm is nice, but those who are mutually committing to the cause of contemporary jewelry and actually want to be a part of my future actions are hard to find. I recently made a pit stop in Providence, RI for about 48 hours and stopped by Kendall Reiss and Mariah Tuttle’s wonderful shared studio to catch up and talk plans. These girls have recently initiated the (x) Collective —–> ( click here ) and have sworn their allegiance to me and mine to them. I am slowly writing a proposal for an exhibition that we plan to work on together from both sides of the Atlantic. We’re going to need help, and lots of it. Check back soon for more on this, and as always, if you want to be a part of future action, please contact me.

Like me, they are dissatisfied with the way things are in the field, also thinking about how to broaden the possibilities of place and audience. Here’s a quote from Mariah in one of her recent emails to me about my initial responses to Schmuck… hope she don’t mind!

…and I feel that way about curating/being in shows/pop ups as well. I want to navigate a place that is somewhere between those people that all descend on schmuck and get blurred out, somewhere between waiting for these annual events to show their work, and somewhere between those clever but sidelined people that have really makeshift galleries at events (in the back of their moterhome or bike)…. I want to be legitimate but I want to be fresh and I want to be able to assert these discussions away from schmuck and snag — not separate but not dependent —

 below are some snaps of their lovely space!

Kendall and Mariah are also in the works of a RISD blog/site that will highlight alumni doing great things. The image heavy site will announce events (openings, lectures, new lines, etc), have a gallery of images linked to the maker’s website, include a directory of alumni, and have a subsection working to connect alumni with students, among other things. WIll keep you posted on this adventure as well.