Katie Rearick
she/her
Allison Park, PA, USA
Katie Rearick received her BFA with an emphasis in Metal/Jewelry from Western Michigan University, and her MFA from SUNY New Paltz. Supplemental to her formal education, she has studied at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Penland School of Crafts.
Her work ranges from small-scale body adornment to large sculptural installations that utilize personal narrative as a starting point. Katie’s work was included in the publications 500 Gemstone Jewels and 500 Enameled Objects. Notable exhibitions include: Staring : in HINDSIGHT at The International Design Museum in Munich, Germany, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 107th Annual Exhibition at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania and Fresh: Metalsmith Exhibition in Print at the National Ornamental Metal Museum.
Having founded the Allegheny Metals Club in 2015, Katie is actively engaged in the Pittsburgh metals community and currently teaches workshops at the Society for Contemporary Craft. Previously, Katie has taught at SUNY New Paltz, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and Waynesburg University. She also maintains a home studio north of Pittsburgh in Allison Park.
“Parenthood comes quickly and easily for some and for others it can be a slow mournful process. In my current studio research, I am utilizing found objects to explore themes of loss, infertility, mourning and healing. I hand pierce, saw and hammer sterling silver that gets meditatively linked together to create necklaces that include found objects that are imbued with memory. The Motherhood series draws inspiration from personal narrative as a starting point and a shared narrative of unspoken loss.
How does your work relate to the theme connection?
“This work was created after my daughter, Lilian, was born. The hair that you see encased behind the clear glass cabochon in the metal pendant is my own hair that I collected for a year postpartum from the shower drain.
Many new mothers experience significant hair shedding after pregnancy, peaking at about four months after giving birth. When I experienced this post-partum hair loss, I started collecting the hair in anticipation that I would make art about it.
In Heavy Strands, my hair represents the literal physical shedding of one’s identity and past loss of life. There is certainly a joy that comes with the birth of a child and also the birth of a parent. But, with the birth of my daughter also came the grief that was reignited from the loss of my previous pregnancies. During pregnancy, fetal cells migrate out of the womb and embed themselves into the mother’s tissues, becoming a permanent part of her DNA. The presence of these cells, known as microchimerism, is thought to affect every person who has carried an embryo, even if briefly."
What role does connection play in your creative process?
“My work ranges from small-scale body adornment to large sculptural installations that utilize personal narrative as a starting point. My personal narrative always plays on a connection with my family, those alive and those deceased. The jewelry/sculptural pieces I am currently investigating are from a series titled ‘Motherhood’, where I explore the seemingly antithetical concepts of fertility and loss using a visual vocabulary informed by everyday objects that I have encountered and have a connection with as a mother."
"Heavy Strands", sterling silver, human hair, onyx, pendant 3" x 3" x 1.25", chain 33" (10" in length once tripled), 2024“I connect to my identity as a queer mom, wife, teacher and metalsmith."
What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“Historically, hair has been used in wearable jewelry. While this may sound strange to our contemporary ears, it was a rather common practice in the Victorian era. Individuals in mourning would commission wearable brooches, necklaces, or rings that incorporate into their designs, hair from their loved ones who had died. These ‘mourning jewelry’ pieces would be worn to act as tokens of remembrance for the deceased. Researching mourning jewelry and jet jewelry influenced the designs of the series ‘Motherhood’."