Athens, Ga. – Noted American jeweler Lola Brooks, recognized as part of a new wave of American artists shifting the direction and character of American jewelry, will spend the week of Nov. 8 at the University of Georgia as a visiting artist in the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Brooks’ visit will include critiques in several disciplines within the art school and a public lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in room S151 of the art school. The lecture is free, and the public is invited to attend.
Currently a visiting associate professor at Rhode Island School of Design, Brooks has built a career through museum and gallery exhibitions, often using romantic materials to comment on the history and function of jewelry. She oftenincorporates re-fashioned steel and other materials of lesser value alongside traditional gems and stone cuts into her work, referencing the history of jewelry as well as the hierarchy of the materials themselves.
Her work can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Art and Design in New York City, as well as the Racine Museum of Art in Racine, Wis. Brooks has taught at the Penland School of Crafts in N.C., Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine and the 92nd Street Y in New York City.She has been featured in many publications, including American Craft, Vogue and W magazines.
“Lola Brooks is one of the top young jewelers in the United States right now,” said Mary Hallam Pearse, assistant professor of jewelry and metals in the art school, who will serve as one of Brooks’ hosts during her visit to UGA. “She is an art jeweler who is taking our understanding of jewelry beyond the idea of visual consumption, using the language of jewelry – its value, ornamentation, intimacy, preciousness – to communicate ideas about jewelry.”
The Lamar Dodd School of Art is located at 270 River Road on the UGA campus; room S151 is located on the first floor of the building. For further information, see http://art.uga.edu