Sculpture to Wear. The Jewelry of Marjorie Schick

In 1966 the young American artist Marjorie Schick stated her aesthetic intention. She wanted to startle viewers and if necessary disturb them but above all her jewellery had to be aggressive – it had to attract attention. In 2002 as a mature artist she confirmed that commitment, adding that she wanted her works to be bold. And they certainly are: both in scale and colour as well in their relentless outward drive into space.

For decades Marjorie Schick has been a pioneering avant-garde artist in jewellery. Her dynamic, energy-charged pieces rooted in the revolutionary late 1960s European concept of jewellery push at the conventional boundaries of form, material and colour. Taking the human body as her central theme, she creates and explores a wide variety of dramatic, theatrical forms, uniting graphic appearance and complex constructions. An important aspect of her work is the innovative use of base materials in a palette of rich colours – conceptual statements that are either worn on the body or are presented as autonomous objects.

Influenced by sculptors such as David Smith, Schick regards the body as ‘living sculpture’ and constructs additional pieces of sculpture from painted round wooden rods and other everyday materials including papier-mâché to adorn it – often in stunningly large sizes: a brooch that extends far across the wearer’s shoulder to enliven the surrounding space; a chain so large that it creates its own physical environment; a piece that – worn on the shoulder – envelops the wearer’s head, thus framing his or her face – or cutting it in half. In constructing her pieces so that we actually step into them, that is, do not merely look at them or hold them, Schick choreographs an enveloping ‘sensual embrace’. We usually remain outside sculpture and look at its forms. When we wear Schick’s works, sculpture has taken hold of us: wearing sculpture, we become performers in them.

Other authors:
Helen Williams Drutt English, Fritz Falk, Elizabeth Goring, Suzanne Ramljak, Helen Shirk, Paul J. Smith