Vee Miller
she/they
BlackQueerMagic (BQMNY) LLC represents the creative, professional, and spiritual journey of Vee B. M., LMSW. Vee uses She/ They pronouns and identifies as a Black, queer, Jamaican born woman. Vee is the sole artist, designer, and metalsmith behind BlackQueerMagic. They are a self taught artist that began wire wrapping in 2016 and ascended to lapidary, electroforming, metalsmithing, and jewelry design facilitation. Each piece is created in the tiny corner of Vee’s studio apartment with a collection of crystals, metals, and tools that they’ve acquired over the years.
Vee lives & works in New York, NY out of her studio apartment that she shares with her 30+ plant children. Vee is also a licensed clinician with formal training in working with LGBTQ communities. In her free time they enjoy basking in nature and learning about plant medicine. She hopes that BQMNY will continue to grow into a comprehensive jewelry brand that offers apprenticeships to QTBIPOC people, heirloom pieces that celebrate our communities, & serves as a beloved minimal centerpiece of the queer aesthetic.
"Vee creates handmade pieces with a focus on Black LGBTQ adornment, reclamation, and empowerment. They also offer Jewelry Workshops, Wellness Training, and Art Coaching. With BQMNY, Vee merges their love of community activism, creative wellness, and jewelry fabrication. Through her online platform, BlackQueerMagic, Vee does outreach, donates, and engages with community members from across the world.
BlackQueerMagic has been featured in Metalsmiths for Change’s Black Metalsmiths Market, Ori Art Gallery in Portland, and has vended at over 40 events including Allied Media Conference and National LGBTQ Task Force’s Creating Change Conference. They are a member of the Women’s Jewelry Association and the Black in Jewelry Coalition."
“Queerphoria is a centered practice in my art. I envision the wearers of my pieces to be people that want to see Black LGBTQ people thriving in their joy. My pieces are about adornment, reclamation, and spiritual empowerment. My life, our lives is more than just resistance and struggle. Queer joy and euphoria are our birthright.”
What does [queerphoria] mean to you? This can be something felt, experienced, or made.
"They, Them, Theirs" 20G Brass sheet, Herkimer Diamond, hand fabricated brass letters, 3 finger ring. 2022.
“I consider identity in the pieces that I make. None of my pieces are gendered and can be modified to different sizes to accommodate various body types. I also imagine a future where Black queer people exist and are thriving. I use durable materials that can be passed down as heirloom pieces, pieces that can be utilized as engagement rings, and pieces that make the wearer feel vibrant as well as powerful.”
What does being queer mean to you in relation to your material choices? Is it something you consider?
“Many years ago a friend identified me as a earth & metal bender as a special nod to Avatar. According to Avatar “Metalbending is a specialized sub-skill of earthbending that allows an earthbender to ferrokinetically bend natural and processed metal in a similar fashion to bending regular earth”. This allows “earthbenders” to alchemize , protect themselves, & create new worlds full of possibilities. I fully embrace these identities because creating jewelry is a special, sacred, & outside of the norm act that has allowed me to alchemize, create armors of protection, & create a world for myself & others that I never thought possible. My work with BlackQueerMagic is inherently queer not only because I’m queer but because I center Black queer people as my audience, & I create pieces that are gender neutral as well experimental yet minimalistic. I also believe that being a metalsmith is something very queer, it’s not every day that folks pick up a torch to create something tangible & beautiful. Fire is usually used to destroy or light something momentarily but we get to shift the chemistry & alchemize natural properties similar to “metalbenders” to create worlds of our own. How cool is that?”
Is the work queer because the maker is queer, or is it queer because the subject matter is queer?
"Black Seer Collection" 20G Sterling silver sheet, sterling silver granules, sterling silver bezel wire, 16G sterling silver wire, Black Onyx. 2021.
“I never used to consider myself an artist -only a supporter of the arts but that all changed when I started my passion path project in 2016. I began creating jewelry as a means to explore my identity, establish stability for myself, find my path, & reclaim my bodily autonomy through adornment. Through my creative process I’ve learned about myself as more than just a survivor and my relationship to metal working has shifted as my healing journey has shifted. I’ve gotten to adorn people, teach them how to create their own jewelry, advocate for Black LGBTQ people, and begin my professional career as licensed therapist. My relationship to the work now is rooted in my spiritual practice, the joy that I find in creating at my own pace, my connection to nature, & all that is ethereal & magical about the alchemy of changing the form of metal to create tiny objects. Collections like Black Seer, Midas Touch, & more recently The Living Collection are how I reflect these themes in the art.”
What role does your studio practice play in your identity- if at all?
When creating your work, do you consider the relationship your object has with the viewer?
“yes! My art has an intention & a purpose. I want the viewer to feel connected to the pieces that I create whether it’s through sacred modern adornment, amplifying their own spiritual practice, encouragement to remain steadfast on their journey through inspiration by my own experiences as a former foster youth, or inspiration to continue to alchemize in their everyday lives & artistry. The best compliments I’ve ever received are from folks that place my creations on their altars or describe how I’ve helped them to celebrate themselves, their loved ones, or their unions. My queer understanding of metalsmithing, intention to adorn Black LGBTQ people, & reject the norms of capitalism are very queer. The queerness of my practice is prevalent & I hope that the viewer is able to interact with my practice & me in a way that questions their existence, comfort or discomfort, & enhances curiosity about what it means to see a Black Queer person thriving & rooted in joy as well as divine protection.”
"Midas Touch Collection" 20G Copper sheet, copper bezel wire, 16G copper wire, Opalite, Turquoise, Titanium Quartz, Labradorite, Dominican Larimar. 2019.
“I’m a self taught metalsmith & all of my pieces are created out of a tiny corner of my studio apartment. My communities have rallied behind me & supported me through many transitions & I’m eternally grateful for their support. This year has been a wonderful year for me & my business & is a true testament to what can happen when you remain person centered & steadfast in your mission & principles. I was featured in Essence, I was awarded a grant by NY state, & I’m working on getting studio space for BIPOC metalsmiths and I hope I get it!
One of my favorite quotes from Avatar: Guru Pathik explaining metal's relation to earth to Avatar Aang “IF YOU OPEN YOUR MIND, YOU WILL SEE THAT ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE ONE. FOUR PARTS OF THE SAME WHOLE. EVEN METAL IS JUST A PART OF EARTH THAT HAS BEEN PURIFIED AND REFINED.” We’re connected to the things that we create in more ways than one. We’re also creating new possibilities & centering the people & narratives that have been buried for too long. I love that for us. Happy creating!”