Art Awareness - Debra Baxter - 2/26/24

Reason: I am looking at Debra Baxter's art because her jewelry is intricate, made of traditional materials which makes them aesthetically pleasing, but the way she applies them is new and unexpected, making them wearable art, which is my goal for my work.

Website: Her website is located at https://debrabaxter.com/

Background Information: Baxter is a sculptor and jewelry designer who combines minerals, jewels, and found objects with her material of choice: carved alabaster. Alabaster is a mineral/soft rock that is used in plaster, so it is a carvable, moldable material that often gets confused with marble. It is a precious mineral. She has a permanent piece at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, which is how I found out about her. Along with all her artistic achievement, she has also released two books, Wanting is Easier Than Having and 100 Days of Sculpture. The former is about how longing in an artist's career can be healthy despite the discomfort and the complexity of "success," and the latter is a compilation of sculptures Baxter created in 100 consecutive days, reminiscent of the 100 Skulls challenge.

• Education

  • 1990 - Kansas City Art Institute

  • 1991 - University of Nebraska College of Art And Sciences

  • 1995 -Porto Romano, Florence

  • 1995 - Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence

  • 1996 - Bachelor of Fine Art, Minneapolis College of Art and Design

  • 2007 - Master of Fine Arts, Bard College, Milton Avery School of the Arts

• Honors

  • 2008 - 4Culture Special Projects Grant

  • 2009 - Artist Trust Fellowship

  • 2010 - Louis Comfort Tiffany Award Finalist & 4Culture Special Projects Grant

  • 2012 - GAP Grant & Finalist for Contemporary Northwest Art Awards & 4Culture Special Project Grant

  • 2015 - Jentel Artist Residency

  • 2016 - The Westcliff Fund Fellowship Anderson Ranch

  • 2019 - Recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptors Grant

• Exhibitions

  • 2020 -Roq La Rue, “For Dear Life,” WA

  • 2019 - Roq La Rue, “Ghost Heart," WA

  • 2018 - “Tooth and Nail,” NM

  • 2015 - Central Features Gallery, “We Care a Lot,” NM

  • 2014 - Platform Gallery, “ALL I EVER WANTED,” WA

  • 2011 - Platform Gallery, “Wanting is Easier than Having,” WA

  • 2010 - Shepard Gallery, “Every Distance is Not Near,” NV

  • 2009 - Howard House, “So Proud of You,” WA

  • 2008 - Massimo Audiello Gallery New York City

  • And Many More

Artworks:

Crystal Brass Knuckles (I am going to realign your chakras motherf******)

2009

Quartz crystals set in sterling silver

7 x 6 x 2.5 in

I chose this work because it was the first of the crystal brass knuckles series. The juxtaposition between the purpose of brass knuckles as a self-defense weapon and the brittleness of the crystals and the beauty of the materials that Baxter uses makes this fascinating. This application of common or contrarian commodities to jewelry is something I am definitely going to think about when project planning. Also, even though I said that the crystals were brittle, the knuckles still look like they'd hurt!

Take Υour Medicine

2011

Sterling silver and quartz crystal

4 x 4 x 3 in

This one reminds me of her brass knuckles yet, because of how she uses quartz to make a silver hand ornament. It is almost comical how large the crystal is, because it would be impractical to wear for a long period of time, but that is what makes it so intriguing: the ginormous crystal that seems to grow out the hand. The design is simple, but its execution is so effective that it makes an impact on the viewer because of how unexpected it is. I cannot understand the name of the work, but this has certainly inspired me to consider crystal as a material, and even something that does with the hands. I wonder how it would be perceived if a man or a "manly" hand wore her work since often hand models are women and "accentuate" jewelry. I will have to try it sometime.

Catch Υour Breath

2021

Alabaster, Bronze, Druzy Snow Chalcedony

10x 10 x 5 in

I love how sculptural this piece is. It doesn't feel overdone, but it has a nostalgic feeling, like something that would be in an art museum gift shop. It is calming and the difference between the two lungs makes the viewer search for a deeper meaning!