Sadie Wang

Jewelry is a most personal object because it is worn close to a person’s body. It has served as a vehicle to identify class, social status, wealth and taste for centuries. I am challenged to continue on the path in the decorative arts field and to create objects that are meaningful in our lives and culture.

Metal hollowware has been my passion for many years. I believe that through my experiences in hollowware I have become a better jeweler.  In my work I demand both functionality and aesthetic quality. Every piece that I create is a uniquely designed original piece, made with professional quality. My jewelry is designed to bring attention to the wearer while being worn comfortably. Depends on the piece, the work can be for special occasions or for everyday wear.

My aesthetic vision is simple but unique. My work can appear to be quite, subtle yet possesses a strong design quality. Everyone can appreciate beautiful objects while enjoying wearing them. It is important that the work gives the tactile and visual pleasure to the wearer.

While my hollowware continues to receive recognition through national and international exhibitions, I am determined to keep working on my jewelry to bring better and better work to you. I would like to share with you the gift that I have to design and make wonderful jewelry.

CURRENT DIRECTION

Being a craft artist who makes a living off her work translate to working on many projects at the same time. Designing and experimenting new work is something that is always in continuum in my studio. 

I have been working with silver, gold and resin for a while. More recently I have had opportunity to also work with hand blown glass through another glass artist. I designed and participated the making process of a group of “glass gems” sizeable for jewelry. In order to appropriate the two materials working together, I had to come up with a new body of work. That was when I came up with the Folded Leaf line. 

At first, I wanted to make a “pedestal” if you will, to show off the glass gems as the centerpiece. And yet since I am a silversmith, I also want to make the silver work thoughtful and will require craftsmanship to deliver quality. The end result is that both media does not overshadow the other and does not compete against each other but to compliment each other with grace. In my opinion, successful work has always had this layered complexity. 

After such investigation, I realized that my Folded Leaf design has a lot of potential. I continue working with them and therefore this new body of work is included to my newest jewelry line. 

This line of work requires all hand fabrication in several stages before completion. The process is also often tough on my hands therefore more time is required. Due to the choice of making process, the work is light-weight and possess a three-dimensional quality. It looks like an abstract three-dimensional leaf to a flower or a star. 

More possibilities are revealing themselves as I continue to work with it. Although I have been very fond of resin as a material, I am going to focus on this body of work for now. But I do anticipate that I will return to resin. And I look forward to discover how the new work will be when I am ready. 

EXPERIENCE

Studio Artist

Sadie Wang Handmade Design Jewelry, Silver Point TN

Aug 2000--Present

Artist-in-Residence

Tennessee Technological University, TN. USA Appalachian Center for Craft, Department of Metalsmithing

Aug 15, 1999 - Aug 15, 2000

Visiting Artist

Tennessee Technological University, TN USA Appalachian Center for Craft Metalsmithing

March 1999 – July 1999

Part-time Lecturer

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts 3D Metalsmithing

July 1998 – December 1998

EDUCATION

Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills. MI

Master of Fine Arts. May 1997

Metalsmithing

Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

Bachelor of Arts. May 1994

Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design

Chinese Culture University, Taipei Taiwan

1989-1990

Print Communication

Position Held

AWARDS 

Honorable Mention TACA Biennial The Best of TN Craft Sep-Oct 2010

Best Display TACA Spring Fair, Nashville, TN May 2010

Niche Award finalist Jewelry Fine category 2010 (awaiting result Feb 2010)

Niche award finalist Jewelry Sculpture to Wear category 2010

Niche Award finalist Jewelry Silver category 2010

Best in Show TACA Craft Fair, Nashville, TN May 2009

Second Place St Louis Art Fair, St Louis Mo Sep 2008

Merit Award TACA Craft Fair, Nashville, TN may 2008

Award of Merit Magic City Art Connection, Birmingham, AL, April 2008

Honorable Mention Broad Ripple Art Fair Indianapolis, IN 2007

Black and White paper Award  Magic City Art Connection Birmingham, AL 2007

First Place St Louis Art Fair St Louis, MO Sep 2006

Excellence Award Art Splash, Souix City, IA Sep 2006

Merit Award Smoky Hill River Festival, June 2006

Merit Award TACA Spring Fair, Nashville, TN May 2006

Joe Pier Award Magic City Art Connection, Birmingham, AL 2006

Merit Award TACA Spring Fair, Nashville, TN May2005

Niche Award Metal Hollowware, 2005

Black & White Paper Award Magic City Art Connection, Birmingham, AL 2005

Award of Achievement American Craft Council Shows Atlanta, GA 2003

Niche Award Metal Hollowware, 2003

Niche Award Metal Hollowware, 2000

Selected for the International Competition Exhibition of All Japan Handicraft

     Handiwork Art Society, Dec 2000, Tokyo, Japan

Dream, Life and Craft National Functional Art Competition Award,

     National Craft Research Institute, 2000, Taiwan

GFWC Woman’s Club Award, National Competition of Two and Three Dimensional

     Art Lafayette Art Association, LA, 2000

Outstanding Design Award, National Taiwan Craft Research Institute New Product 

     Design Development Competition, 2000, Taipei, Taiwan

GRANTS

Master Craft Artist/Apprenticeship Grant TN Arts Commissions / Tennessee Association of Craft Artist Jewelry Master 2011

Individual fellowship grant, TN Arts Commission, State of TN, 2005

PUBLICATIONS

Art Jewelry Today 2: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd 2008

The Art Jewelry of Plastic & Resin: Lark Books 2008

500 Metal vessels : Lark Books 2007 

Art Jewelry: Gallery Section Jan 2007

Modern Jewelry from Modular Parts: Lark Books 2007

Individual Artist Fellowship Commemorative catalog:

      Tennessee Arts Commission 2007

The Art & Craft of making Jewelry : Lark Book 2006 

American Style Article: Metal Master Dec 2006

Niche: Jewelry 2006 Spring 2006 

Niche: Teapots Spring 2005

500 Brooches Lark Books 2005

Niche: Niche Award Winner 2000, 2003, 2005

EXHIBITIONS

2010

TACA  Biennial The best of Tennessee Craft Middle Tennessee State University

     Gallery at Andrew Todd Hall Sep-Oct 2010

2009

Annual Holiday Festival exhibition Appalachian Center for the Craft 

     Nov 2009 - Jan 2010

2006

Critical Mass: Metalsmithing under Gary Griffin at Cranbrook

     Bloomfield Hills, MI  June-Nov 2006

2002

Solo Exhibition, Gallery one, Appalachian Center for Crafts, Oct 2002 Smithville TN 

2001

Craft Forms 2001, Wayne Art Center, PA, Wayne PA, USA Nov2001- Jan 2002

37th Mid-States Craft Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art and Science,

     Evansville IN, Nov25th 2001-Jan 13 2002

Holiday festival annual exhibition, Appalachian Center for Crafts, 

     Smithville, TN, Nov-Dec 2001

Metal Departures, Exhibition Center, The Society for Midwest Metalsmiths,

     St. Louis MI, Oct-Dec 2001

Contemporary Interpretations of Tradition, Museum of Early Trades & Crafts,

     Madison, NJ, July 01-Feb 02

Telling Tales, 9th Annual Invitational Teapot Show, Craft Alliance,

     St. Louis, MO, Sep. 2001

Fresh Metals, Gallery Invitational Exhibition, Appalachian Center for Crafts,

     Smithville TN Aug-Sep 2001

2000

The 25th Japanese Craft Association International Art Exhibition, Dec 10th-16th,

     Tokyo, Japan

Craft Forms 2000, Dec 1, 2000 – Jan 22, 2001, Wayne Art Center, Wayne PA

SOFA Chicago, Nov 3-6 2000, Chicago IL, 2000

TACA Biennial Exhibition--The Best of Tennessee Crafts, Carroll Reese Museum, 

     June 8th- August 6th, Jason City, TN, August 24- October 20, Christian

     Brothers University Gallery, Memphis TN, November 1 - December 31,

     McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, Athens, TN

Celestial Seasoning Tea Cup Competition Exhibition, June 23 – Sep 9, 2000,

     Ferrin Gallery, Croton, NY

SOFA New York, May 31st - June 4th 2000, New York NY

Solo Exhibition, The Yaw Gallery, May 2000, Birmingham MI

The Annual Artist-in-Residence Exhibition, Appalachian Center for Craft Gallery

     Two, April 2000, Smithville, TN

National Taiwan Craft Research Institute Jewelry Competition Exhibition, 

     Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Dept. Store, August 2000, Taipei, Taiwan

Material: Hard and Soft, Jan 29-March 10, 2000. Greater Denton Arts Council, 

     Denton TX 

National Juried Competition of Two & Three Dimensional Art, Lafayette Art

     Association, March 9-April 25, 2000 Lafayette, LA

COLLECTION

Permanent Collection at National Taiwan Craft Research Institute: 

     Birmingham Memories 

LECTURE

Slide lecture, Tainan Art Academy, Jan. 6, 2000, Tainan, Taiwan

Group Slide Lecture, Tennessee Technological University, Appalachian Center

     for Craft, Nov. 5, 1999

“Artist Talk”—Slide Lecture, Handmade: Shifting Paradigm, Oct 2, 1999,

     Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

Slide Lecture, Tennessee Technological University, Appalachian Center for Craft,

     March 1999

Group Slide Lecture “Conversation”, Conference, State University of New York,

     New Paltz, Fall 1996