Kristen Hedge
she/they
Bozeman, MT, USA
Kristen Marie Hedge is a Silversmith from Green Bay, WI. She is getting her Master in Fine Arts from Montana State University where she specializes in Organic and Botanical Casting, along with Ethical Foraging and Lapidary.
“I’m interested in how wearable objects, through their adornment, can facilitate performative expressions of mental, emotional, and physical states; how they can be taken off and put away when referencing the past or a memory. Choosing metal as my preferred medium has allowed me to explore the contrast between its natural hardness with the delicate qualities of botanicals. Harvesting plants, and adorning them with stones and other found materials has helped me process the many questions and emotions that permeate grief, loss, and love.”
What does being queer mean to you in relation to your material choices? Is it something you consider?
“I consider my queerness in my work in relation to currently living in and growing up in rural areas. Queer people are not accepted in Montana where I currently live and go to school. I feel a relationship with the materials I use as an expression of my own identity that I do not talk about often. I gather materials in nature through ethical foraging. These are materials that are not typically seen as stunning or beautifull, but hey are bountiful and precious in their own ways. It is important for me to highlight materials that are overlooked and not seen, or just in the background."
"Caput Mortuum” from the “Prairie Gothic Collection”, Mourning veil (hawthorn), copper, sterling silver casted hawthorn, 7” x 9”, 2024Is the work queer because the maker is queer, or is it queer because the subject matter is queer?
“I would say that the work is queer because I am queer. However, this artwork is a mourning veil for grieving. I created this piece for privacy to grieve the loss of family members. It made me think about is queer grief different than other peoples grief. I never was able to tell my family that passed away about my identity or how I exist in the world. This veil is evolving the more I live with it, in that it protects me in my healing process on many levels."
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“My practice has grown from her childhood, being a fourth generation Florist and Gardener. I forage ethically for my materials locally to create jewelry and small sculptures, highlighting the beauty that is around us. I’m interested in how wearable objects, through their adornment, can facilitate performative expressions of mental, emotional, and physical states; how they can be taken off and put away when referencing the past or a memory. Choosing metal as my preferred medium has allowed me to explore the contrast between its natural hardness with the delicate qualities of botanicals. I am not only preserving the physical materials but also challenging the way these objects are traditionally viewed. Harvesting plants, and adorning them with stones and other found materials has helped me process the many questions and emotions that permeate grief, loss, and love."