Denise Wallace (born 1957) is a Native American jeweler and member of the Sugpiaq tribe.
Denise Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957 |
| Nationality | American (Sugpiaq) |
| Known for | Jewelry |
Early life and education edit
Wallace, of Alutiiq descent (also called Sugpiaq Eskimo) was born in 1957 in Seattle.[1] After high school she spent time in Alaska where her grandmother lived.[2] She studied lapidary work and silversmithing in Seattle, and at age 19 began to study at Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe.[3] She received her AA in fine arts from IAIA in 1981.[1] Wallace lived in Santa Fe for twenty years before moving to the Big Island of Hawaii in 1999.[4]
Career edit
A notable jeweler, Wallace's work exhibits the "major motif of transformation",[5] with movable components including doors, latches, removable parts and hidden compartments. She has stated that the doors are based on traditional masks which sometimes include a face which opens to reveal another face, and described this motif as "a way to show the transformation of the inner spirit of an animal, person, or object".[6] She creates pieces from gold, silver, fossil ivory, coral and semiprecious stones.[1][7] Wallace also uses fossilized mammoth and mastodon ivory and walrus tusk in her work.[4] The jewelry sometimes includes depictions of figures dressed with Native American textiles and embroidery. She has been called "among the finest jewelry designers of the twentieth century".[2]
Personal life edit
Wallace married Samuel Wallace from Virginia, with whom she has two children.[7]
Exhibitions edit
- Arctic Transformations: The Jewelry of Denise and Samuel Wallace, March 2, 2006 – July 23, 2006. National Museum of the American Indian, New York, New York.[8]
References edit
- ^ a b c Farris 1999.
- ^ a b Kirkham 2002, p. 117.
- ^ Indian Artist 1997.
- ^ a b Levin, Jennifer. "Horns of the dilemma: Tackling the ivory issue". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
- ^ Lauria & Fenton 2007, p. 256.
- ^ This path we travel : celebrations of contemporary Native American creativity. Walter Bigbee, National Museum of the American Indian. George Gustav Heye Center. [Washington, D.C.] 1994. p. 114. ISBN 1-55591-205-2. OCLC 30472930.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b Matthews 2005, p. 33.
- ^ "Arctic Transformations: The Jewelry of Denise and Samuel Wallace | National Museum of the American Indian". americanindian.si.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
Sources edit
- Farris, Phoebe (1999), "Native American women artists", Women Artists of Color, Greenwood Press, pp. 85–88, ISBN 0-313-30374-6
- Matthews, Neal (December 2005), "Denise and Samuel Wallace: Alaskan Spirit", American Craft, vol. 65, no. 6, American Craft Council, pp. 32–34
- Kirkham, P. (2002). Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09331-5.
- Indian Artist. Vol. 3–4. Nightingale Hice, Incorporated. 1997.
- Lauria, J.; Fenton, S. (2007). Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects. Clarkson Potter. ISBN 978-0-307-34647-6.
Further reading edit
- Dubin, Lois Sherr (2005). Arctic Transformations: The Jewelry of Denise & Samuel Wallace. Easton Studio Press/Theodore Dubin Foundation. ISBN 9780974380629. OCLC 61692127.
- Dubin, L.S.; Jones, P. (1999). North American Indian jewelry and adornment: from prehistory to the present. Harry N. Abrams. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-8109-3689-8.