Precious by Micah Adams, Christine Dwane and Lawrence Woodford

Artist list

Micah Adams, Christine Dwane, Lawrence Woodford

We overlook the common, the routine and we call them mundane; ordinary. We discard the everyday things, forever searching to that special moment, special person, special thing - our precious.

If value is a decision we make, an opinion that we have - can we not choose to see it whenever and wherever we please or do we only understand the value of something when we risk losing it, or never being able to possess it? Is it only in losing that we truly understand the value of having?


Micah Adams is a Toronto-based artist whose work is reminiscent of lost treasures - found, of curiosities hidden behind glass; repurposing and reimagining found objects into humorous sculptures and jewellery pieces. Arguably equal parts artist, collector and mad scientist, Micah creates art that is inspired by the materials themselves, pushing the boundaries of what is possible, if only to see if it can be done. He tediously and delicately saws away and removes shapes and images from coins and then solders them back together, as if just to see if all of the pieces will fit. He creates challenges for himself through his work, problems seeking solutions and yet there is also a meditative quality to the tactile repetition, to the countless bricks etched into the glass.
As an artist, I am a collector of objects, as much as I am a maker. I collect and reassemble found objects, searching for new meanings and new possibilities. I work in deliberate contrast to high tech modes, preferring the intimacy of developing my own repertoire of manual techniques. I value quiet personal moments of the day in which I construct small works that simulate a place for wonder and contemplation.
/ Micah Adams
However, it is not simply just the materials themselves that influence Micah’s work - it is also the notion that nothing new is ever created, only recycled and repurposed over time. And yet, the technological advancements that now allow us to do things cheaper and faster, to do what we couldn’t do before is rejected in his work. Dismissed because it is the care and attention that the artist gives each piece that renders it valuable and meaningful; taking something that would have been overlooked, its purpose limited to its single-use or its circulation and making it special, making it precious in a way only an artist could.

Christine Dwane is intrigued by the challenge that comes from creating art from materials that already exist, of seeing what is possible when one’s palette is limited to items that were created for one singular purpose, specifically consumer-based wrappers and plastics. She is interested in the ways these materials can be manipulated, transformed into beautiful new shapes, textures and colours.
With increasing urgency of the ecological state of the planet, exploration of unconventional upcycled materials, such as fibers and acrylic have become a point of interest for me. Creating many new possibilities of colour, shape and texture in my work, these materials also present points of discussion.  Milk bag ties are used as necklace links and gum wrappers are used as pearls alongside silver, gold and fine gems. The stark contrast between what is perceived as precious and what is not are used to question the norms of value and social standing.
/ Christine Dwane
Her work is beautifully refined and the juxtaposition between precious metals and ‘non-precious’ materials so well balanced - candy wrapper beads in place of pearls, milk tags in place of gold links - that it forces us to ask ourselves why we keep certain things and throw away others. It is a reminder, that we are surrounded by beautiful things - if only we took the time to look.

Lawrence Woodford is a Canadian artist who is well known for creating, what he describes as, metaphysical landscapes - sculptural jewellery pieces that are reminiscent of rugged terrains and geological configurations. Through his work, one cannot help but feel connected to the earth, not only due to the aesthetic, but because of how each piece is created - layers of rough stone are contrasted against found synthetic and made-made materials. One gets the sense that they are peering at a topographical map, but one that increasingly reflects human interference - a shift in the natural balance.
My work documents theoretical terrains, metaphysical landscapes, geological configurations and crystallizations as well as humanity’s endless search for paradise on earth. These wearable objects are visual recollections of the places I seek to recreate, diagrammatic maquettes of mountains, valleys and rock formations. The ambiguity and juxtaposition of the shapes and circumscription of the pieces are atlas-like, mineral-like and elevation-like… My use of discarded materials and repurposing them is as a direct response to mass consumerism. I am in love with the idea of gathering scrap steel sheet, raw slabs of stone and cast off composite countertops and making them into something luxurious.
/ Lawrence Woodford


Precious is an exhibition that asks us to look at the ways in which we covet and desire some things and discard others; the ease within which we dispose of and abdicate responsibility from those things we determine to be of lesser-value. By creating precious artwork from everyday, discarded and overlooked items, Micah Adams, Lawrence Woodford and Christine Dwane remind us that our world is shaped by the decisions we make, be they disposable and single-use or sustainable and renewable; beauty is everywhere we choose to look.