Shorelines by Metal Six
September 3 – October 2, 2021
CLICK HERE FOR THE EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
Kristen Bishop | Brigitte Clavette,RCA | Kristyn Cooper | Kristianne Levesque | Erica Stanley | Audrée Hamelin St-Amour
This exhibition consists of multi-media installations of metalwork (jewelry, neckpieces, found objects and aged metal) called Shorelines by New Brunswick’s collective, Metal Six, founded by Brigitte Clavette in 2018.
Kristen Bishop brings a series of large metal pieces that she aged, rusted and etched to compose abstract images. Brigitte Clavette displays her brooches and necklaces paired and mounted on paintings that reflect the Maritime weather. Krysten Cooper created small vessels, towers and orbs out of copper and coated with a vibrant pigment that gives each piece a unique character. Kristianne Levesque‘s jewelry of ‘two-faced’ pendants is made out of sterling silver and agate stones. Each stone pendant has its own relief image, usually of a lighthouse, on the back. Erica Stanley brings a large painting of a geographical map of the North Atlantic Ocean shores from Nova Scotia to Florida. Attached to this painting are silver and brass pendants of the Right Whales. Finally, Audrée Hamelin St-Amour‘s installation of found objects (washed up wood, moss and seaweed) and metal, are recounts of her time at the shore. Each piece is displayed as a treasure and holding a special memory.
Kristen Bishop was born in New Brunswick, Kristen Bishop’s work is influenced by her tactile experiences of the St. John River Valley. These influences can be seen in the textures she recovers within her pieces. Her work is narrative, holding stories within its forms. Bishop nurtures her artistic spirit by continuing to find inspiration in the natural world around her. Kristen is a graduate of the Jewellery/Metal Arts program at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, where she is currently employed as the Metal/Jewellery Arts studio technician. (Plate Series: Shoreline, Neckpieces: Treasures)
Brigitte Clavette,RCA is the head of Jewellery/Metal Arts at NBCCD from 1985 to 2017, she currently teaches and works on her own artistic practice. Brigitte is a member of Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts and has received the Excellence Award and The Strathbutler Award from the province of NB. Her work is in the Royal Ontario Museum, Victoria Albert, NB Museum, and the Guelph Art Gallery’s contemporary silversmithing collection.
Her work at times challenges functionality. An object may need to be held and contemplated in order to find its function. She is currently returning to the simple unadorned vessel form. These textured ‘silver skins’ are meant to be held in the palm of the hand, eschewing the untouchable mirror finish of previous work. (Series: Brooches & Necklaces on Paintings)
Kristyn Cooper graduated with distinction from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design where she majored in Jewellery and Metal Arts. Since then, she has accumulated a variety of honors such as inclusion in the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in South Korea, sitting as a jury member for Canada Council for the Arts, receiving funding from The New Brunswick Arts Board, and being commissioned to create an award for the Human Rights Commission of New Brunswick. Cooper is the Studio Head of Jewellery and Metal Arts at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design where she teaches students of all levels to develop personal relationships with metal. Her work appears in select fine craft galleries, special exhibitions, as well as numerous private collections (Series: Orbs & Towers)
Kristianne Levesque is an award-winning graduate from the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, where she found her passion for Metal art. Building a variety of items such as urns, trophies, and wall art; she also has a jewellery & accessory line crafted from upcycled bullet shells (bitethebullet.ca). Kiki is the proud owner of Unforgotten Metal Art and has built work for numerous businesses/organizations such as NB Power, Fredericton Community Foundation, The Turnaround Award (Restigouche), & many more. Unforgotten Metal Art pieces have also been gifted to the Canadian prime minister, and other political figures globally. (Series: Take Me Home)
Erica Stanley is a metal artist, goldsmith, educator, and arts advocate living along the beautiful Wolastoq River, in Queenstown, NB. Working out of her studio with her husband, Aidan, they specialize in creating engagement and wedding rings together, custom-made to suit the client. Erica also creates artwork for exhibitions and galleries, and as a means of experiencing, understanding, and honouring the natural world around her. She has taught jewellery and goldsmithing at the Nunavut Arctic College, and currently is an Instructor at the NB College of Craft and Design. Her work is represented by Spicer Merrifield Gallery in Saint John, as well as Serendipin’ Art Gallery in St Andrews. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts from the University of New Brunswick, as well as a Diploma in Fine Craft and a Diploma of Advanced Studies from NBCCD. (Installation: Brink of Extinction)
Audrée Hamelin St-Amour studied fine arts and then specialized in jewellery and metal arts. She is a metal and mixed media artist whose artistic practice is halfway between the fine arts and the jewellery traditions. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. (Installation series: Pathways, Wall installation series: Memory)
