So our hats are off, and we offer loud applause to the 10 Semi-Finalists of the 6th Annual 2008 The Ugly Necklace Contest. These 10 beadwork and jewelry artists have demonstrated their talents and design skills. They have been judged by a distinguished panel of four members at The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts in Nashville, Tennessee. Thirty Seven (37) submissions were received from 17 states across America and four other countries from around the Globe between September 2007 and March of this year in response to an international call for submissions announced in the summer of 2007.
The judges reviewed how well each submitted necklace met and then violated a set of ten jewelry design principles. Based on this review, the judges selected the 10 best designed, most hideous, yet still artistically and architecturally functional, Ugly Necklaces for 2008.
Now it’s time for America and the rest of the World to vote for the winner – The Ugliest Necklace 2008! The Ugly Necklaces of the 10 Semi-Finalists are on display on-line at http://www.landofodds.com/
The UGLY NECKLACE CONTEST is a jewelry design contest with a twist. The contest presents a challenge not often tackled -- at least intentionally. The contest draws the jewelry designer into an alternative universe where beautiful artists create ugly necklaces. It's not easy to do.
"Ugly" is more involved than simple surface treatment. It is not just laying out a bunch of ugly parts into a circle. It turns out that "Ugly" is something more than that. "Ugly" is the result of the interplay among Designer, Wearer, and Viewer. "Ugly" is very much a result of how a necklace is designed and constructed. "Ugly" is something the viewer actively tries to avoid and move away from. "Ugly" has deep-rooted psychological, cognitive, perceptual, sociological and anthropological functions and purposes.
As research into color and design has shown, your eye and brain compensate for imbalances in color or in the positioning of pieces and objects – they try to correct and harmonize them. They try to neutralize anything out of place or not quite right. You are pre-wired to subconsciously avoid anything that is disorienting, disturbing or distracting. Your mind and eye won’t let you go here. This is considered part of the fear response, where your brain actively attempts to avoid things like snakes and spiders.... and ugly necklaces.
This means that jewelry designers, if they are to create beautiful, wearable art, have to be more deeply involved with their pieces beyond "surface". Or their pieces will be less successful, thus less beautiful, thus more disturbing or distracting or disorienting, thus more Ugly.
Luckily, for the jewelry designer, we are pre-wired to avoid these negative things. This makes it easier to end up with pieces that look good. Beauty, in some sense, then, is very intuitive. On the other hand, it makes it more difficult to end up with pieces that look bad. You see, Ugly goes against our nature. It's hard to do.
The Ugly Necklace Contest is one of the many programs at The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, that encourage beadwork and jewelry makers to test their design skills, have fun, and learn some fundamentals about jewelry design in the process.
So vote…. Go on-line, and surf to http://www.landofodds.com. Click on The Ugly Necklace Contest, and show the World its Ugliest Necklace (and thus best jewelry designer) for 2008.
And if you are in the Nashville, Tennessee area, please stop by The Open Windows Gallery (fine art jewelry) at Be Dazzled Beads, where the 10 semi-finalists’
LIST OF 2008 6th Annual SEMI-FINALISTS:
1. Mandy Allen, “MindSettings,”
2. Edith Cheitman, “Venerable Bede”, Sarasota, Florida
3. Candace Davis, “Ugly Haiku”, Charlotte, North Carolina
4. Lynn Margaret Davy, “I Let Our Love Sing – F(orte)”, Dorset, England
5. Alesia DiFederico, “Equus Recyclus,” Southbury, Connecticut
6. Kimberly Dods, “Ode”, Peralta, New Mexico
7. Wendy Inman, “Junk Drawers Revenge,” Ripon, California
8. Jen Muise, “Something for Everyone,” Woodlawn, Ontario, Canada
9. Ruwani Thanuja Rathnayaka, “… Recycle Me…”, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
10.
2007 Winner: Julia Vogl and Maggie Ollove from Oberlin, Ohio
2007 Runner Up: Hillary Schmeichel from Long Beach, California
2006 Winner: Sara Feingold from Rochester, New York
2006 Runner Up: Janine Dunklebarger from Manteo, North Carolina
2005 Winner: Jann Ferris from Vicksburg, Mississippi
2005 Runner Up: Mary Poag, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
2004 Winner: Robert De Luccia from Ridgewood, New Jersey
2004 Runner Up: Bonnie Anderson from Kennesaw, Georgia
2003 Winner: Kathleen Lynam from Franklin, Tennessee
2003 Runner Up: Natalie Zurawski from Springfield, Illinois
Call for Entries – 7th Annual 2009 The Ugly Necklace Contest
A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist
Read the Contest Rules at www.landofodds.com/
To add your name to our email list associated with The Ugly Necklace Contest, send an email to: oddsian@
and Write "Ugly Necklace Email List" in the subject line.
Sponsors:
Land of Odds www.landofodds.com,
Phone: 615-292-0610;
Land of Odds provides bead and jewelry making artists with virtually all their beads, supplies, books and jewelry findings needs, with over 30,000 products. Retail/
Be Dazzled Beads www.bedazzledbeads.com
Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts www.landofodds.com/
Open Windows Gallery – Fine Art Jewelry
Other Programs at Land of Odds:
ALL DOLLED UP: Beaded Art Doll Competition
www.landofodds.com/
Jewelry Design Workshops in Cortona, Italy, with Toscana Americana
http://www.landofodds.com/
