Seed
SLS nylon powder, silver

4 x 3 x 5 cm

Nicole Jacquard is an artist with a jewelry and metalsmithing background. Her sculpture resonates the delicacy, materials and beauty of well-designed and executed jewelry. Nicole has had 6 solo exhibitions and participated in over 80 invitational/juried exhibitions in the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia. She regularly presents lectures on her work, having had papers accepted to present at conferences in the UK, Australia, China, and the USA.

In her own words

Could you please introduce yourself, your background and what motivates you to create and why?
My name is Nicole Jacquard. I am an artist who lives in Bloomington, Indiana and works at Indiana University in the Metalsmithing
and Jewelry Design Department. My background is in traditional metalsmithing and jewelry – as well as sculpture. I was brought up in the home of an Artist and I began in  high school when I was 16 years old with Mr Fred Brandenburger. I then went onto Indiana University where I studied with Professor Randy Long where I earned by Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1991. After I received my first MFA in 1994 from The University of Michigan where I studied with Gene and Hiroko -Sato Pijanowski. After U of M I was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Australia and received my second MFA degree studying with Carlier Makigawa at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University in Melbourne in 1995.  in 2001 I was awarded an international scholarship in order to return to RMIT, where I received my PhD in Fine Arts.

Grass
22k, silver

Each: 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm

What motivates me to create is a very loaded question. It can be something as random as looking at a new material, observing something in nature or working through my own thoughts and feelings about particular situations in my own life. I have been making work for so long and it is such a part of my life that I cannot imagine a time when I was not making or in the future when would not be making something  and this can include anything from wearable objects, sculpture, furniture, clothing etc..

You use a range of materials for your pieces. How do you choose materials to help you do this?
Usually the pieces dictate what materials are used. If the materials don’t make sense with the work then the whole piece loses it’s impact. For example, when creating things using rapid prototyping usually I am commenting on the current tools and technologies that are used for mass production. When using pine needles, they are an indicator of a specific place and technique – in particular embroidery and the traditional sampler that women used to demonstrate their domestic skills.

What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?
My hands

Do you have any advice for a young artist or designer starting out?
Yes – be as experimental as possible, don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot do something (within reason of course).  Fail a lot – this is not always comfortable but I learn more about particular processes or individual pieces by investigating why they’re NOT working rather than the ones that come very easily. Also, something that Ken Bova said and still resonates — Pay attention to what your paying attention to.

You look at things for specific reasons,ask yourself why.

I honestly believe that artists are some of the most well rounded people out there. We have the advantage of asking ourselves very hard questions – what we’re making, why we are making and hopefully answer them. I feel many people never have this opportunity unless something tragic happens in their life. In general we are equipped with a variety of tools at our beck and call because we have to not only be the ‘maker’ we  also have to be our own boss, our own promoter and marketer – covering all aspects of accounting, photography, design. Artists can think outside the box, in fact,  we are expected too. We can work in isolation or in a group because of shared studio spaces, workshops, and demonstrations. We can take criticism because we know that we can always improve and artists are always on duty ,-We are constantly thinking about the next ‘thing’ – and always looking for inspiration.

Presence
Felt, silver, lace, india ink, thread, found object

So from someone who has been making for a while and someone who cultivates students to be better makers and thinkers, I think we have a  pretty fantastic job in life.

What would you like to be doing with your art ten years from now?
Hopefully I will still be learning new ways to make. The next area that I would like to get into is making more work with wood and steel in order to create some larger sculpture and furniture. I also would like do more programming of objects using Arduinos and smart materials so that my audience can have a different interaction and experience with the work ,perhaps knowing more about the inspiration or how and why the work was created.

Nicole is an Associate Professor of Jewelry, Metalsmithing and Sculpture at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Her education includes a bachelor of arts from IU in 1991, and her first MFA from the University of Michigan. Nicole received her second MFA in 1995 while on a Fulbright Scholarship to Australia at RMIT University in Melbourne, and in 2004 Nicole returned to RMIT and completed her Ph.D. in Fine Arts.  

All images courtesy of Nicole Jacquard | www.nicolejacquard.com

For more information on Hong Kong Art Tutoring please contact:
Gail Deayton
Telephone: +852 9722 8353
Email: info@hkarttutoring.com

Cantilever
Felt, pearls, thread, galvanized steel, porcelain, silver

Souvenirs I
Felt, galvanized steel, silver, thread

Growth
Felt, galvanized steel, silver, garnets, thread