Glam-r-Us Opens 30 November 2006– download images here 
Museum of Brisbane Store launches the exquisite jewellery of Jesika Hanford and Bibi Locke in an exhibition entitled
Glam-r-Us on 30 November 2006. Also showcased is jewellery from MoB Workspace residents past and present: Liana Kabel, Tracey Milne, Marisa Molin and Rebecca Ward. The six jewellers from the collective studio in City Hall each take a different perspective on the theme ‘Glam-r-Us’ in conversation with the current Miss Australia exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane. All jewellery is for sale and there are Christmas gifts of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches catering to a diverse range of tastes and starting at $50.
Jesika Hanford, the newest resident has recently returned to Brisbane from New York where she worked as a jeweller. She has focused on the "Glam" aspect of the exhibition title drawing on the 70's era of lurex and glam-rock. Jesika says “As well as enjoying revisiting the glam rock era of my childhood, I wanted to explore the tactile and visual tension created by combining the hardness of metal with the softness of different fabrics.” To this end Jesika has used various “glam-rock” fabrics with titanium, silver, chain and lightning bolts as motifs to create street jewellery with class.
Bibi Locke, only 21 years old, is a recent graduate of Queensland College of Art and has created a stylistically glamorous body of work exploring the flowing lines that compliment the female form. Bibi says, "Working at MoB Workspace, the elegance of the new Miss Australia exhibition acts as daily stimulation. My debut range is all about timeless beauty, the designs extend from the natural contours of the body." Bibi’s intricate designs are finely saw pierced to allow light to pass through, enhancing the delicacy of the work. Her Miss Australia inspired jewellery is infused with classic feminine elegance.
Entitled
Zen Glamour, Marisa Molin has created a series of randomly structured twig inspired sterling silver brooches, stickpins and pendants. Marisa has lived in Tasmania for the past 2 years completing her Masters of Fine Arts and Design. The dramatic climate change from Queensland has significantly inspired her work. This series is a reflection of the fallen deciduous branches that scatter on the forest floor.
Tracey Milne is coy about her
Glam-r-Us jewellery, stating, “I am glamour.” She has an established history of creating works from recycled items or reinvigorating existing pieces. She has a reputation for producing unusual and imaginative pieces with a superior finish that are not only very wearable but also become cherished items – the new ‘heirloom’.
Liana Kabel’s recycled plastic jewellery is fully tuned into the 1950’s - when glamour was plastic. Liana says, “If it looks like a lolly, I like it” and this certainly holds true for her
Glam-r-Us work. A recipient of a Brisbane City Council/Arts Queensland Creative Sparks Grant and
noted blogger, Liana cuts her own creative pathways.
The Lucy Goes to Manhattan series of necklaces, earrings and bracelets by Rebecca Ward imagines the dreams of a small town girl as she astral travels to the other-worldly metropolis of New York City. The sparkling lights and art deco skyscrapers of New York are evoked in sterling silver and Swarovski crystal. Rebecca recently won an acquisitive award from the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery for her use of recycled materials in a range of jewellery based on the records of Nana Mouskouri.
Glam-r-Us will be opened by Jeweller, Patricia Harper
6pm – 8pmThursday 30 November 2006
Glam-r-Us continues until 31 January 2007
King George Square Foyer and MoB Store
Museum of Brisbane, Ground Floor, City HallKing George Square, Brisbane
RSVP Wednesday 22 November 2006
Phone 3403 4355 Email mob@brisbane.qld.gov.au
MoB Workspace – further informationMoB Workspace is an artist-run collaborative jewellery studio in the heart of Brisbane’s historic City Hall. Nestled inside the Museum of Brisbane’s MoBStore, it gives the public a glimpse into the dynamic world of contemporary jewellery design and production. The current jewellers in residence are Jesika Hanford, Liana Kabel and Rebecca Ward with Bibi Locke an associate resident.
MoB Workspace was established in October, 2003, by Tracey Milne, Marisa Molin and Rebecca Ward with the support of Museum of Brisbane and the Brilliant Brisbane Jewellery Cluster, Brisbane City Council. MoBWorkspace artists showcase their cutting edge designs in MoBStore as well as other galleries and venues locally, nationally and internationally.
For more information, drop in to MoB Workspace 10am-5pm weekdays or contact:Jesika, Rebecca, Liana or Bibi
Tel: 3403 5518
Email: mobworkspace@yahoo.com.au
New jewellery from the MoB Workspace Jewellers will be included in MoB Store's Summer Collection, along with a diverse selection of work from a range of talented Brisbane artists.
MoB Workspace Graduate Jeweller, Eleisha Nylund, has been selected to be a stall holder at the very first Young Designers Market coming up on Sunday the 9th of September from 10am to 4pm.1.jpg)
MoB Workspace has 3 people in this upcoming show up the street and across the road from our studio: Bibi Locke, Elizabeth Gray and Rebecca Ward. The jewellery/objects in the show have to consist of 80% foam. Come along if you are able!
Fellow Brisbane jeweller and MoBStore stockist, Mark Vaarwerk has revamped his website with lots of gorgeous images of recycled plastic and precious metal jewellery. There is also an active news page about his current travels in London and Europe where is on an Australia Council grant promoting his work.
This delightul range of hats, bags and jewellery has been created by the talented Suzie Rodgers 
(pictured at right), for the Museum of Brisbane Admit One exhibiton about the history of cinema in BrisVegas. All are for sale and displayed in the front window of MoB Store. They conjure up days of yore when Brisbanians used to dress up to go to the pictures and be seated by lovely usherettes such as MoB Workspacer Bibi Locke.
Newsflash: there are actually 3 MoB Workspacers in the Virgin mag! Our new casual jeweller, Susannah Dwyer is on the same page as Rebecca and Liana with her groovy "Fire Escape" pendants made from recycled curcuit boards. She sells them at MAD and Reverse Garbage in Brissy. Susannah is in the studio on fri arvos. Close up 'fire escape':
Renata Fojtikova's work explores the relationship between human and machine
Eleisha Nylund: technical sophistication
Patricia Harper, Beaded Vessel
Last week we took time out of the studio for a long train trip out to Ipswich to see if a terrible mistake had been made all those years ago. Well not really - we went to see Quadrant, an exhibition in the Ipswich Art Gallery as Friend of MoB (FoM) , Patricia Harper was exhibiting her gorgeous beaded vessels, bracelet (pictured) and wall works with 3 other artist/teachers: Lorraine Kitching, Marcelle Little and Dennis Magee. Patricia's
stunning vessels enchanted us with their intricate and fantastical construction and brilliant colour. They contrasted with several upscaled works in the show including a neon necklace wall piece that lit up the space with an eerie glow.
Another FoM , the blue-headed art critic, Florence Forrest, came along for the ride and we lingered over a leisurely brunch before hitting the thrift stores, Liana mining a rich vein of her own: plastic knitting needles. Believe me she has quite the needle fetish as she dragged us from one store to the next. When we eventually made it back to Brisbane we were a bit wilted after our outback adventure but full of tales to tell .
Bibi Locke, now an associate was our grad jeweller in 2006
Photo: Mel Robson
come along to the
Jesika Hanford, the newest resident has recently returned to Brisbane from New York where she worked as a jeweller. She has focused on the "Glam" aspect of the exhibition title drawing on the 70's era of lurex and glam-rock. Jesika says “As well as enjoying revisiting the glam rock era of my childhood, I wanted to explore the tactile and visual tension created by combining the hardness of metal with the softness of different fabrics.” To this end Jesika has used various “glam-rock” fabrics with titanium, silver, chain and lightning bolts as motifs to create street jewellery with class.
Bibi Locke, only 21 years old, is a recent graduate of Queensland College of Art and has created a stylistically glamorous body of work exploring the flowing lines that compliment the female form. Bibi says, "Working at MoB Workspace, the elegance of the new Miss Australia exhibition acts as daily stimulation. My debut range is all about timeless beauty, the designs extend from the natural contours of the body." Bibi’s intricate designs are finely saw pierced to allow light to pass through, enhancing the delicacy of the work. Her Miss Australia inspired jewellery is infused with classic feminine elegance.
Entitled Zen Glamour, Marisa Molin has created a series of randomly structured twig inspired sterling silver brooches, stickpins and pendants. Marisa has lived in Tasmania for the past 2 years completing her Masters of Fine Arts and Design. The dramatic climate change from Queensland has significantly inspired her work. This series is a reflection of the fallen deciduous branches that scatter on the forest floor.
Liana Kabel’s recycled plastic jewellery is fully tuned into the 1950’s - when glamour was plastic. Liana says, “If it looks like a lolly, I like it” and this certainly holds true for her Glam-r-Us work. A recipient of a Brisbane City Council/Arts Queensland Creative Sparks Grant and noted blogger, Liana cuts her own creative pathways.
The Lucy Goes to Manhattan series of necklaces, earrings and bracelets by Rebecca Ward imagines the dreams of a small town girl as she astral travels to the other-worldly metropolis of New York City. The sparkling lights and art deco skyscrapers of New York are evoked in sterling silver and Swarovski crystal. Rebecca recently won an acquisitive award from the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery for her use of recycled materials in a range of jewellery based on the records of Nana Mouskouri.
The annual Christmas Show at Craft Queensland has kept Jesika Hanford very busy in the studio creating a gorgeous new range of jewels in luscious red fabrics, gold and oxidised silver. They bring to mind the warmth and celebration of the season.
Coming soon to MoB! Click image to enlarge.
