Karin Jones
| Karin Jones | |
|---|---|
| https://agnes.queensu.ca/site/uploads/2021/07/Karin-Jones-Head-Shot-922x730.jpg Karin Jones' Alumni Headshot | |
| Born | Vancouver, Canada |
| 🏫 Education | NSCAD University (MA Fine arts in Craft), Vancouver Community College (Diploma, Jewellery Art and Design) |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Jewelery, Design and Goldsmith |
| 🌐 Website | https://karinjones.ca/ |
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Karin Marita Jones (born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian female multidisciplinary artist with a background in jewelry making[1]. Her work addresses historical narratives and how they shape one's cultural identity assessing themes of Black feminine identity, African enslavement, and more. Jones is known for using an array of textiles and materials that identify with African history, specifically fabrics used for racial segregation such as African hair, cotton, and corn[2]. Jones has been awarded various scholarships and awards and describes her work as a "juxtaposition in adornment and restraint and making something beautiful out of the direst circumstances"[3]. Jones received her first permanent collection in 2014 at the Cambridge Galleries Idea/Exchange in Cambridge, Ontario, and her most recent collection in 2021 at the Vancouver Art Gallery[4].
Early Life and Education[edit]
Jones was born in Vancouver, Canada. She was raised in a white neighborhood where there were only a handful of Black kids, although her parents taught her things to be proud of in relation to her cultural background[3]. Due to the pain of being an "other" in her childhood, she has carried this subtle racism and this idea that "African is the lowest you can be", she found value in bringing it to the surface through art[3].
From 1991 to 1993 Jones received a diploma in Jewellery Art and Design at the Vancouver Community College[4]. Then three years later, she traveled to Germany for an eight-month apprenticeship under goldsmith masters Heinz and Hermann Laatzen, at Laatzen GmbH, in Hamburg, Germany. Proceeding she completed a repoussé workshop with repoussé master Dietmar Ristl, Center for Further Education of German Goldsmiths in Ahlen, Germany[4]. Jones went back to Vancouver in 1998 to take part in a diamond-setting course with goldsmith Carl Torode at Patina Designs, Vancouver. These earlier experiences still remain in her practice today. Then in 2000, joined an intensive training program in business skills and marketing at the Entrepreneur Assistance Society of East Vancouver to advance her self-employed career. Jones then took a variety of workshops and apprenticeships in both the United States and Finland[4]. Some include the Damascene workshop at Mendocino Art Center in California, the Classical Gold Granulation at the Jewelry Arts Institute in New York, an apprenticeship with blacksmiths Markku Havimo and Upi Anttila in Takopaja Forge, Fiskars, Finland, and private lessons with master blacksmith Tom Latané, Pepin, Wisconsin[4].
Jones also completed artist residencies: one in 2007, the Fiskars Artist Residency in Fiskars, Finland, and one in 2021 at the Burrard Arts Foundation in Vancouver, Canada[4].
Jones finished off her educational career in 2018 receiving a Master of Fine Arts in Craft at NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In completing her MFA thesis she decided to focus her artwork on how historical narratives shape identity[3].
Jones is currently the Department Head of Jewellery Art & Design at Vancouver Community College[1].
Career[edit]
Jones’ first work in the art world was in curatorial work in 2001[4]. This piece is titled Sticks and Stones, it was presented in a group exhibition made of chopsticks by a group of jewelers at the Object Design Gallery in Vancouver[4]. From here, her career launched into one that reflects on the history that shaped her identity[5].
Teachings and Presentations[edit]
Jones has participated in and hosted many ‘Artist Talks’, presentations, and workshops that highlight her artwork[4]. Many of these teachings allow for participation, where Jones highlights the importance of discovering their own journey to discover what will make their lives significant[3]. Many of her talks go through the process of her art creation whether that be influenced by her own self-identity or historical narratives such as African descent[3].
Jones recently led a workshop at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, Ontario in November 2021[1]. In this workshop, titled "The Studio: Exploring Cultural Identity Through Art” Jones spoke about how she sees her own cultural identity and how it has become the inspiration for her artwork[1]. Workshop-goers also participated in interactive components allowing participants to think about their own identities in reflection on their own work[1].
Jones also participated in an Artist Talk at Western University in 2018, where she talked about the material she uses in her pieces[2]. A large portion of this talk was dedicated to her work with hair intertwined with cotton as markers of race[2].
Some presentations have her describing one specific collection such as Labour Trace from March 2020[6]. She talks about the neckpieces that she has created out of non-traditional material, whether the neckpieces are shown to be worn with pride or pride in the relief of taking the heavy neckpiece off (narrative of slavery)[6].
Other workshops and artist talks include the same or similar themes, as well as workshops on jewelry making; Beginners’ jewelry course at North Shore Continuing Education in North Vancouver, panel discussions at Vancouver Community College, residency presentations, teaching assistantships at NSCAD University, a presentation at the Seattle Metals Guild Northwest Metals Symposium and more[4].
Books and Exhibition Catalogues[edit]
- Unity and Diversity. Exhibition Catalogue for Exhibition at the Canadian Pavilion, Cheongju International Craft Biennale, South Korea. (2010)[4]
- Crafting a Legacy: 40 Years of Collecting and Exhibiting at the Metal Museum. Metal Museum, Memphis. (2019)[4]
Media and Press[edit]
Jones’ artworks and collections have been highlighted in a range of magazines and news articles from Elle Canada, CBC Radio, and Metalsmith magazine [9].
In 2021, Carrie Yodanis wrote an article from an interview with Karin Jones titled "Are Some Ideas Too Big For Jewelry?" in Art Jewelry Forum[5]. In this article, Yodanis reviews the works and evolution of Karin Jones. Yodanis presents Jones’ questions on how the body is integral in enabling the art object to express an idea[5]. Yodandis asks if some ideas are too big for jewelry[5]. Yodanis comments on the themes/concepts found in Jones' work[5]. The themes discussed are crucial in Jones’ work including racism in social standards of beauty, symbols of primitive sexual stereotypes of African women, the history of stereotypes of Black women’s bodies, the invisible labour of African women, and the romanticization of rural life. In expressing these themes, Yodanis reflects on the tools used, as well as Jones’ own thoughts on the work[5].
Artwork[edit]
Many of Jones’ artworks atone with the theme of identity, specifically for people who are considered "subhuman"[3]. Jones’ artwork attempts to see how historical narratives shape our own identity, in the way the world sees us or how we think the world sees us[3]. She makes jewelry, clothing, and objects to see identity as something we wear every day, whether we choose to or not[3]. What inspires Jones for her artwork is this idea of finding beauty in the direst of circumstances[3].
Jewellery[edit]
Jones has worked with jewellery since receiving her diploma in Jewellery Art & Design from Vancouver Community College[7] in 1993.
Clothing[edit]
In an installation commissioned by the Royal Ontario Museum in 2014–15, displays Jones’ piece "Worn: Shaping Black Femininity”[8]. This piece consists of a Victorian mourning dress made of braided hair extensions surrounded by cotton balls and Jones’ own hair[8]. This work was created in response to both the presence and absence of Africans in the historical narrative of Canada[9].
Working with Hair[edit]
Jones pieces that work with hair as a craft medium to question ideas of authenticity in relationship with racial and cultural identity[10]. In using hair in her work she intertwines both race and feminine identity as an expression of African women's descent[6]. The rings shown below present her background in jewelry and working with hair[10], as well as a collection titled "The Golden Section" that presents blonde hair as a symbol of European beauty ideals[11].
Objects and Tools[edit]
Jones is most known for her artwork that presents objects and tools that were used against Black identities in historical narratives. Jones says that these pieces are both objects of adornment and restraint[3] and in using traditional techniques and non-traditional materials, Jones presents the narrative of slavery as an identifier of African culture[6]. Her work title "(body of work)" includes 8 neck pieces that examine the historical narrative of slavery that has shaped the identities of people of African descent[12]. Questions arise about the release of taking off the piece, as a symbol of removing the burden that history has placed[3]. "Precious" is an array of farm tools, to address pastoral notions of agricultural labour and the romanticization of rural life[13]. She also has a collection called "Damascene" which is a technique that Jones learned in her studies[14]. Out of this, she has created bowls, candle holders, jewelry boxes, and more[14].
Collections[edit]
| Year | Collection |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Cambridge Galleries Idea/Exchange, Cambridge, ON |
| 2016 | Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON |
| 2018 | National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, TN |
| 2020 | Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, ON |
| 2021 | Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, BC |
Further reading[edit]
- Prefix Photo 42 (Fall/Winter 2020). "Crossing the Great Divide: Slave Dress as Resistance in Canada and the Caribbean", essay by Charmaine A. Nelson
- Vie Des Arts Magazine, N ̊ 258, Printemps 2020. Material Critiques of Canadian History". Full page article, Josh Marchesini, Page 12.
- Metalsmith Magazine, Volume 38, No. 4. "body of work: Karin Jones". Exhibition Review, Rebecca Hannon, Pages 54–55.
- Our Vancouver, CBC TV, October 11, 2018. "Artist Karin Jones Explores Relationship Between Hair and Identity", Interview with Gloria Macarenko.
- Canadian Art, "We Need to Talk: Sexual Harassment in the Art World", May 11, 2016. Invited, as one of 11 artists, to address the theme.
- Global TV News "The Morning Show" (Toronto), Feb.12, 2015, Curator Silvia Forni interviewed by Kris Reyes about "Worn" Installation at the ROM.
- CBC Radio "Fresh Air" (Ontario), February 21, 2015, Interview with Mary Ito. 2015: Vancouver Sun, February 3, 2015, "Karin Jones: Victorian Mourning Dress Embodies Black History", article, Kevin Griffin. Web.
- CBC Radio "North by Northwest" (BC), August 4, 2013, Interview with Margaret Gallagher.
- Metal Arts Guild of Canada Magazine, Vol. 26. No.3. "Larger than Life", Exhibition in Print, Pages 18–19.
- Westender Urban Weekly (Vancouver, BC), Aug 11–17, "Shop Talk: Digging for Gold", spotlight, Page 17.
- CBC Radio "North by Northwest" (BC), July 4, Interview with Sheryl McKay.
- Vancouver Sun, November 25, 2010, "Artists Open their Studios to the Public", article, Kevin Griffin, Page C21.
- Vancouver Sun, August 11, 2010, "These Garden Tools Best Not Left Outside", article, Lucy Hyslop, Page E3.
- Boulevard Magazine (Victoria, BC), "Gilding the Shovel", spotlight, Robert Moyes, Pages 66–67.
- Aqua Magazine (Gulf Islands, BC), "Eyes on Steel", feature article, Gayle Mavor, Pages 37–39.
- The Georgia Straight (Vancouver, BC), October 5, 2001, "Melding Byzantine and Modern With Flair", article, Janet Smith.
- Elle Canada, December 2001, "Elle Gifts", photo, Page 92.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The Studio: Exploring Cultural Identity through Art with Karin Jones". Agnes Etherington Art Centre. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Art Now! Speakers' Series Presents: Karin Jones, retrieved 2022-11-11
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Karin Jones Artist Talk April 4, 2018 (Oral MFA Thesis Statement), retrieved 2022-11-11
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 Jones, Karin (2022). "Curriculum Vitae". Pdf.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Support, CauseLabs (September 20, 2021). "Are Some Ideas Too Big for Jewelry?". Art Jewelry Forum. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Karin Jones: Labour's Trace, retrieved 2022-11-13
- ↑ jones, karin. "Jewellery Archives". Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 jones, karin. "Worn: Shaping Black Feminine Identity". Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ Jones, Karin (2014). "Worn". Artist Statement.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 jones, karin. "Hair and Cultural Identity". Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ Durey, Lucien (2021). "Karine Jones: The Golden Section." Exhibition Statement". Exhibition Statement.
- ↑ Jones, Karin (2018). "(Body of Work)". Artist Exhibition Statement.
- ↑ jones, karin. "Precious". Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 jones, karin. "Damascene". Retrieved October 21, 2022.
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