How I got involved in the RJM Artist Project! 

I have been seeking a responsible material practice since 2018 when I was an undergraduate student. At that time, I co-hosted Radical Jewelry Makeover (RJM) in collaboration with RJM co-directors Susie Ganch and Kathleen Kennedy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

We worked to collect old, unwanted jewelry from my local community. These donations were disassembled and given to jewelers to reimagine into new jewelry. Donors signed a contract, acknowledging that “their items will be melt[ed] down, hammer[ed], cut and chang[ed] beyond recognition”(RJM donation form). These “madeover” pieces went out into the community through a fundraising sale and exhibition. Donors were invited to share stories and also given a coupon to use, encouraging them to purchase a new piece.

With hands greyed from sorting through piles of charms, chains, and bangles, I read one donor’s story. He described the relief he felt when donating a small gold pendant and ring from his late spouse. He had no one else to inherit these memories. In that moment I was struck by the enormous emotional weight we feel for the things we surround ourselves with. Additionally through RJM, I learned about the environmental impact and influence that we carry when making objects. And so my journey began...