Naomi Johnson
she/they
Naomi (she/they) is a Black queer metalsmith based in Chicago, IL. Naomi first began metalsmithing just two years ago at a local studio. They started their handmade small batch jewelry business, Metal Petal Jewelry, in February of 2023 with the goal of designing jewelry for queer and BIPOC folks. Metalsmithing is Naomi’s artistic outlet and medium through which they express aspects of their inner reality that may be harder to put into words. Naomi also works as the Director of Research at Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and is deeply invested in the transformation of the criminal legal system.
“I create jewelry out of brass and silver as well as natural objects like shell, pearl, stone, and rope. My work focuses on form and shape as the central feature evoking emotion and connection – taking simple objects and materials and making them into objects of adornment. My work is deeply personal to me, expressing elusive feelings and aesthetics that are deeply tied to my identity as a queer Black person. Black and queer futurity are cornerstones to my design practice as I pull from past and contemporary influences to imagine adornments for people like me.”
metalpetaljewelry.com
"This necklace is an intersectional exploration of the queer connection of Black and LGBTQ+ communities – neither conform to the ideals of White heteronormative society. Both LGBTQ+ and Black communities are demonized for existing in the world in a queer way – for being too boisterous, too flashy, too ostentatious. We are marginalized for not fitting into the norm of society. I sought to reject these white, western, cishet norms by creating a piece that is large, visible, multilayered, and even makes a little noise. This necklace operates as a permission for Black queer folks to exist in their fullness and not disappear parts of themselves for the comfort of others. Its design resists ideas of purity by embracing the richness of layering. It is a celebration of self in its abundance.
The design piece is inspired by African art and traditional styles of adornment. Specifically, the four shapes that make up the majority of the necklace are inspired by west African Adinkra cloth symbols. The symmetrical design of is an allusion to the comfort of sharing space with other queer people that make you feel scene and accepted. These shapes effectively become links of the chain necklace to reflect my belief that Black queer folks are most safe when they are connected to others."
How does your work relate to the theme Adorned Serenity— How does the work function as a wearable safe space?
Black as in Queer as in Black, jewelers brass, cowrie, waxed cotton cord, wood beads, 36x4cm, 2023
“This is a wearable safe space for Black queer folks. It is a reminder that we do not need to operate under the rules of others, but invent our own.”
How do you see this piece existing in the world as a wearable safe space?
Or is this piece specific to you?
If someone found this piece and needed an instruction manual to make the safe space work — what’s a quick how to?
“Secure the necklace around your neck in front of a mirror. Take time to look at yourself and admire your beauty just as you are. Adjust the necklace so that it sits comfortably. Think of the community that supports and loves you and the ancestors that lived before you. Wear this in their honor and your own.”
