Rae Jett
she/her
Portland, ME, USA
Rae Jett earned her BFA in metalsmithing and jewelry design from Maine College of Art in 2018. She now lives and works in Portland, ME with her wife and son.
“My work is an attempt to preserve the memory of softness. To loudly whisper a moment into existence. My jewelry speaks to those who have felt loss like a scream and desperately hold onto joy. Flowers frozen in time and twisted together for strength. The flowers I use are memories my queerness holds dear, they are moments that are not mine alone. My work is a love letter to those I have never met and who were never given the option of softness. A memory of joy to spark light inside a life that has deeply known the dark.”
“My material choices do not necessarily have an inherent queerness. However my materials have evolved as I have evolved, my willingness to be fluid in my choices are definitely felt both personally and in my making."
What does being queer mean to you in relation to your material choices? Is it something you consider?
"Carnation Brooch", Brass, silver, enamel paint, 3.5" x 4", 2024Is the work queer because the maker is queer, or is it queer because the subject matter is queer?
“Humans cannot help but impart a bit of themselves in everything we do. So as makers, even if it's not initially identifiable, everything we touch has some queerness to it."
