Photograph by Jessica Clark
Photograph by Jessica Clark
About
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
Contemporary jeweller Jess Dare completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts specialising in Jewellery at the Adelaide Centre for the Arts TAFEsa in 2006.
Practicing Flameworking for over 15 years having been taught by local and international glass artists, glass now forms an integral part of her practice.
Dare joined Gray Street Workshop (Est.1985) as an access tenant in 2007 and in 2010 became a partner of the workshop. Current partners of the workshop are Catherine Truman, Sue Lorraine, Jess Dare and Lisa Furno.
Dare exhibits nationally and internationally and is represented in major national collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Glass Collection.
Jess has undertaken international residencies researching floral culture in Thailand (2014) and China (2015).
In 2016/17 she worked closely with Professor Richard Johnson AO creating a permanent memorial in Martin Place, Sydney, symbolising the sea of flowers laid by thousands of people following the December 2014 Martin Place siege.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a contemporary jeweller and partner of Gray Street Workshop (est.1985). I work predominately in glass using lampworking techniques and non precious metal. My exhibition work is influenced by nature, botanical specimens and memory. I use nature as a metaphor to investigate concepts of the fragility and transience of memory. To me flowers are a constant reminder that life is ephemeral, ever changing, momentary and precious.
As a jeweller I have always been drawn to the miniature, it’s how I view the world, in small minute details. For me, this intimate scale draws people into my sense of wonder, whilst the gigantic thrusts a world upon the viewer. I also use this scale to accentuate the sense of intrigue and awe that I get from the natural world.
My work draws parallels between the different ways that throughout history people have attempted to preserve flowers by means of illustration, photography, flower pressing, specimen collection and botanical models. Another powerful influence has been the extraordinary works of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka- particularly the highly realistic collection of glass plant models created by for Harvard University between 1887 to 1936.
Curriculum Vitae (Selected)
EDUCATION
2006 TAFE SA, Adelaide Centre for the Arts, Bachelor of Visual Arts and Applied Design(Jewellery)
BIOGRAPHY/GENERAL
2010 - current Partner of Gray Street Workshop with Catherine Truman, Sue Lorraine and Lisa Furno
2023 - current Board member of World Craft Council - Australia
2015 - 2020 Board member Guildhouse
2009 - 2012 Sessional Jewellery lecturer at the Adelaide Centre for the Arts TAFESA
2007 - 2010 Access member of Gray Street Workshop
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (selected)
2018 Junko Mori Workshop, JamFactory, Adelaide
2015 Artist Residency - 3W Studio Shanghai China Artist in Residence Program 2015 an YiWei Art Foundation and Guildhouse collaboration
Lecture and demonstration, China Acadamy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Flameworking demonstration, Ausglass Conference: States of Illumination, Adelaide, SA
Speaker, JMGA Conference, Sydney
Flameworking demonstrations, University of South Australia, supported by Helpmann Academy
2014 Ceramic Residency with Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch, Tao Hong Tai, Ratchaburi, Thailand
Asialink Residency, Atelier Rudee, Bangkok, Thailand
2013 Loren Stump (USA) lampworking course - developing specialised sculptural techniques using Satake glass
2012 Artist in Residence at Square Peg Studio in conjunction with the Marrickville Council
Loren Stump (USA) “Loren 2.5” lampworking course - specialised Murrine and paperweight techniques based on domestic flora
2011 Loren Stump (USA) “Loren 2.5” lampworking course - specialised Murrine and paperweight techniques based on marine life.
2010 Loren Stump (USA) "Loren 1 and 2" glass lampworking course - Murrine and paperweight workshop focused on 3D plants and creating a butterfly Murrine.
Bernard Stoner (SA) Boro glass lampworking course
2008 Barbara Becker-Simmons (USA) Advanced glass lampworking course
Mark Vaarwerk "Transforming throw away plastics" Workshop
2007 Bernard Stoner (SA) Advanced glass lampworking course
GRANTS AND AWARDS (Selected)
2022 Arts South Australia, Independent Makers and Presenters, Project Grant for solo exhibition at Gallery Funaki.
2020 Artists Benevolent Fund Grant, NAVA
Arts South Australia, COVID19 Quick Response Grant
2019 Arts South Australia, Independent Makers and Presenters, Project Grant for international solo exhibition What Remains?
2016 Australia Council, Project Grant for Hold at the Museum of Economic Botany (Jess Dare and Amanda Dziedzic)
2015 Arts SA, Independent Makers and Presenters, Project Grant for International tour of Theatre of Detail (Catherine Truman and Jess Dare)
2015 YiWei Art Foundation Artist Residency, Shanghai, China
2014 Australia Council, New Work Grant
2013 Asialink Self Initiated Residency, Bangkok, Thailand during 2014
2013 Fringe Awards, Eran Svigos award for Best Visual Art in the 2013 Adelaide Fringe for 'The Nature of Memory.'
2012 Arts SA, Project Grant for The Nature of Memory exhibition.
Major COMMISSIONS
2017 Reflection – Permanent public memorial in Sydney’s Martin Place. Design by Professor Richard Johnson AO and artist Jess Dare, capturing the community’s spontaneous outpouring of grief and compassion in the aftermath of the Martin Place Siege in December 2014.
EXHIBITIONS (selected)
2023 A Handful of Flowers… (SOLO Exhibition) Funaki, Melbourne, VIC
A room of her own, Bett Gallery, Hobart, TAS
Contemporary Wearables, Toowoomba Regional Gallery, QLD
Considered, Zu Design Jewellery + Objects, Adelaide
FRAME, Munich, Germany
2022 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, NSW
National Contemporary Jewellery Award, Griffith Regional Gallery, NSW
FUSE Glass Prize, Jamfactory, Adelaide, Australia
Seen. Collected. Kept. (SOLO Exhibition) Jamfactory, Adelaide, Australia
2021 Hearts and Flowers, Brooklyn Metal Works, Brooklyn, NY United States
2020 Elegy, Gallery Funaki, Melbourne
MADE/WORN, Australian Design Centre, Sydney (Touring Exhibition)
2019 What Remains? (SOLO Exhibition) The National, Christchurch, New Zealand
Island Welcome, Migration Museum, Adelaide
FRAME, Munich, Germany
2018 Hold: To hold still. To contain. To hold dear. Museum of Economic Botany, Adelaide, Australia
Mari Funaki Award for Contemporary Jewellery, Gallery Funaki, Melbourne
Island Welcome, Craft, Melbourne
FRAME, Munich, Germany
2017 Island Welcome, Radiant Pavilion, Melbourne
FRAME, Munich, Germany
Design Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Rotterdam Contemporary, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2016 Up Close and Far Away, Galerie Ra, Amsterdam
FRAME, Munich, Germany
Off the wall, ATTA Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand
Nature, San W Studio/Gallery, Shanghai, China
Theatre of Detail, The National, Christchurch, New Zealand; ATTA Gallery, Bangkok Thailand
2015 Body Alchemy - The Hangzhou Contemporary International Jewelry and Metal Art Triennial 2015, Museum of Contemporary Art of CAA, China
Recent Acquisitions, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide South Australia
KORU5, Imatra Art Museum, Imatra, Finland; Vaasa Art Hall, Vaasa, Finland; Kuopio Art Museum, Finland (Touring until 2016)
Theatre of Detail, Gray Street Workshop Gallery, Adelaide; Airspace Projects, Sydney; Radiant Pavilion, Melbourne
Ari-Collab, Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide
MIX, Glass exhibition, Zu Design Jewellery + Objects, Adelaide
Glass: art design architecture, Jamfactory, Adelaide
2014 Jewellery from Down Under, Taboo, San Diego, USA
Sweet Abundance, Oneofftwo, Victoria
2013 Artisans in the garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, selected winners and highly commended works, National Archives, Canberra ACT
Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, South Australian Museum, Adelaide
The Nature of Memory (SOLO Exhibition), Gray Street Workshop Gallery, Adelaide; Studio 20/17, Sydney; Bilk Gallery, Canberra
2012 Bilk on Tour, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra
Process; the art of making, Gray Street Workshop Gallery, Adelaide
2011 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor, 100 women 100 brooches 100 stories, Artisan, Fortitude Valley QLD (Touring nationally until 2014)
Covet: a survey of contemporary SA Jewellery, Adelaide Central Gallery, Adelaide
Gray Street Workshop at Bilk, Bilk Gallery, Canberra ACT
2010 Gray Street Workshop Tenants, JamFactory, Adelaide
Access, Gray Street Access Tenant exhibition, Gaffa, Sydney
2009 Paper Text, Studio 2017, Waterloo, Sydney
2008 Flight, Urban Cow Studio, Adelaide
Gardens Alive, A room of her own, Croydon
Old Macdonald Had A Farm, Soda and Rhyme, North Adelaide
From Gray to Techni-colour, JamFactory, Adelaide
C e l l a r Sweatshop, Light Square Gallery, Adelaide
COLLECTIONS
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
National Art Glass Collection, Wagga Wagga City Council
PRESS
PRINTED…
2019 Jess Dare What Remains? Catalogue essay by Anne Brennan, Design by Catherine Buddle, Photography by Grant Hancock.
2018 Look what we made: meet the new generation of Australian makers by Frankie magazine
2018 Till the end of time by Debbie Pryor
2018 Jess Dare Interview with ZoneOne Arts
Dec 2015 Well Made Artist Focus: Jess Dare by Peta Mount [The Adelaide Review]
6.03.2015 Theatre of Detail: visual art exhibition in review by Amelia Pinna [The Adelaide Review]
Feb/Mar 2015 Gem of A Workshop by Ellen Morgan [Aspire Magazine]
17.06.2013 Memories stem from plants by Kerry-Anne Cousins [The Canberra Times]
15.04.2013 The Nature of Memory by Alex Tuffin [The Curatorial Inquisitorial]
April 2013 Art, Nature and Memory by Stephen Forbes [The Adelaide Review]
DIGITAL...
2020 Essay: Constructing Identity by Margaret Hancock-Davies for Made/Worn: Australian Contemporary Jewellery an Australian Design Centre exhibition that includes the work of 22 contemporary artists working in Australia now.
Feb 2016 Thailand Residency: A string of flowers - a sequence of events by Jess Dare [Garland Magazine - Issue 2]
18.9.2015 Gray Street Workshop, Adelaide, A Celebration of 30 years by Julie Ewington [Art Jewelry Forum]
MOVING IMAGE...
2020 Made/Worn film by Angus Lee Forbes for the Australian Design Centre.
16.06.2013 The Way...
The Way a series that focuses on various South Australian based artist that have received funding and support from Arts South Australia in varying capacities.
To find out more about Arts South Australia visit www.arts.sa.gov.au
Music by Canidae
Produced by Sam Wright and Kieran Ellis-Jone