Flights of Fancy by Lola Brooks

Artist list

Lola Brooks

Fascinated by jewelry as a cultural signifier, Lola Brooks is influenced by both historical jewels and material hierarchies which she believes are both imbued with meaning far beyond the mere physicality of themselves. Her inspiration is located somewhere between the Victorian obsession with death and sentimentality, and the optimistic creative vigor and largesse of 20th century costume jewels. She is driven by her never-­‐ending search for the rich variety of strange and beautiful materials she collects, storytelling and her love of making things by hand. This latest series flights of fancy, is poetic exploration of love and loss, woven in stainless steel, embodying all of the haunting and sublime enchantment of a fairy tale.

About Lola Brooks
Lola Brooks is an artist, metalsmith, clotheshorse and sometimes writer who studied fashion at Pratt Institute. Deciding to pursue jewelry with an interest in its’ intimate scale, she went on to earn her BFA in metals from SUNY New Paltz in upstate New York under Myra Mimlitsch-­‐Gray and Jamie Bennett. She has taught at the University of Georgia, Rhode Island School of Design, University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and SUNY New Paltz, as well as the 92nd St Y in NYC, Haystack and Penland School of Crafts. Lola’s work has been reviewed and/or included in many publications including four of the Lark Books jewelry series; American Craft, Metalsmith, Out, W, Vogue, Lucky and BlackBook magazines. Her work can be found in the public collections around the world including the of the Yale Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, The Museum of Art and Design, NY; and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.