Legacy: A Celebration - Wearable Expressions of Time

Legacy. What has been handed down to you? What are you handing down to others. Legacy can take the form of things or can be actions that effect others. Like a ripple in a pond what we do and intend can influence, motivate, and even inspire.

This show explores the relationship of the art of jewelry making and the influence artists have on each other and the resulting aesthetics.

Looking at those who have gone on before us the show will also honor Deborah Dubois with posthumous collaborations. Blair will combine the influence of Deborah who she had never met with her own design style.

Show dates

Fri, Aug 5 - Mon, Sep 5 2022

This collection explores the concept of connectivity. Each object that I have made represents some form of overlap of ones journey with others. Inspiration to the handing down of skills, like ripples in a pond create an effect. When certain stones are brought together they often show me the story they want to tell but always in the context of the theme that I give them.

This show explores the relationship of the art of jewelry making and the influence artists have on each other and the resulting aesthetics.

Blair brings 35 years experience of silversmithing to Glen Echo Park as founder of SilverWorks Studio & Gallery and Studio 2: Hot metal. A practicing artist for over 35 years, Blair’s wearable art represents personal journeys by telling a story with metal and precious stones. These works having a depth of content often dealing with themes of social justice, spiritual awareness, and women’s issues elicit reactions that often determine their patrons. The work chooses them.

Blair is married to her best friend, Bryan and they have one son, Daniel, an artist, writer, and web developer. Bryan and Blair live in Silver Spring, MD.

Deborah Dubois

(passed June 10, 2021)

A founding member of the Annual Pleiades Art Exhibition, she taught classes, courses and workshops through the Washington Guild of Goldsmiths, Montgomery College, Glen Echo Park, Longwood University, Touchstone Center for the Arts and others.

Between 1981 and 1999, she was contracted to repair and clean several pieces in the Gem Hall of the National Natural History Museum most notably the Hope Diamond. In 1996 she became an Artist-In-Residence at Glen Echo Park.

Vesta Ward was an influential mid-to-late 20th-century Southern California metalsmith and jewelry designer. Operating out of Orange County, California, she was highly regarded for her unique, nature-inspired miniature wearable sculptures.

Her original handcrafted art jewelry is highly collectible today among fans of mid-century modernist and studio jewelry.

Signature Style and Artistry

Natural Influences: Raised in the Rocky Mountains, her work heavily mirrored organic systems—such as tree bark growth, the flow of water, English labyrinths, and dripping candle wax.
Materials: She primarily worked with sterling silver and gold, often embedding semi-precious gemstones like lapis lazuli, moonstones, pearls, garnets, and amethysts.
Chemical Artistry: She was well-known for experimenting with chemical patinas, using combinations of liver of sulfur, detergent, and ammonia to build unique coloration on silver.

Legacy as an Educator

Beyond her studio creations, Ward was a monumental figure in the Southern California crafts community, teaching jewelry fabrication at local junior colleges from 1965 to 1993. She mentored numerous prominent modern metal artists. Blair was first exposed to metal fabrication in one of Vesta's classes.

The show will also examine the influence that the SilverWorks residency program has had on the global scale. For the last ten years this residency has taken young people and awarded free access to studio and classes, an exhibition, and professionally photograph their portfolio for college entrance. We will take a look at where they are now and how the SilverWorks lives have interconnected through the art form.

Poster of several individuals who have been part of a residency program

For further information, to set up a media interview, or learn more about the collection, contact blair@silverworksglenechopark.com.

About Glen Echo Park:

Glen Echo Park is located at 7300 MacArthur Blvd. in Glen Echo, Maryland, six miles northwest of Georgetown along the scenic Potomac River palisades. Click here for directions.

This unique National Park and arts center offers year-round classes and activities for residents of the Washington metropolitan area and visitors from across the country. The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture, a non-profit organization, manages the programs and facilities at Glen Echo Park.