Photos by Shelby Loebker
Jordan Graves –one of SCAD’s atelier ambassadors– seeks to merge her background in motion media and her career in 3D printed jewelry through an interactive art installation.
Graves graduated from SCAD in 2012 with a B.F.A. in motion media design. She began designing and making her jewelry as a way to keep her design skills and perspective fresh while she was working in the admissions and recruitment departments at SCAD.
Jordan first brought her jewelry to ShopSCAD. “I expected them to look at it and maybe pick a piece or two but they asked to sell the whole collection.” Sales at ShopSCAD and Graves’ website, Repeat Offfender, took off and she decided to begin selling her jewelry full time.
“Honestly, the Atelier program could not have come at a better time for me,” Graves said.
She spent the past year touring the country and gaining retail customers for her line. “I visited all 50 of the United States! And, because it was so successful, I came back with my business pretty much set up.” The 3D production aspect of Graves’ jewelry is fairly autonomous, so once she gained a significant customer base, she was looking for her next challenge.
Graves turned to fine art for her atelier installation but applied the same techniques and linear, geometric style she uses in her jewelry. Her piece is in two parts: one large geometric form threaded with led lights that flash and change in patterns and several smaller forms whose led elements change depending on how viewers interact with the installation.
Graves explained that the majority of her project has been experimentation. “With 3D printing of this scale, you conceptualize the finished form but then you have to figure out how to break that down into pieces the printer can handle,” she said. “And then, of course, programming the light sequences was a lot of experimenting.”
Graves at work in the studio
Graves works on this project on her studio at Forsyth House –the SCAD Atelier program building– with two 3D printers at her disposal. Once all of the measurements are exact, Graves sends the pieces out for higher-quality 3D printing. Already, the primary forms are assembled and Graves is currently fine-tuning the lighting sequences and the process of mounting the installation.
“I think I want to continue down this more fine art road,” Graves said. She said the Atelier program gave her an opportunity to learn new techniques and she hopes the installation will be a launching point for this new phase of her career. She spoke of using this commission to approach fine art in museum and gallery setting, much like how she sold her jewelry, giving the Jepson Center’s PULSE Festival for Arts and Technology as an example of an exhibition for which her work would be a great fit.
Jordan Graves’ installation and selections of her jewelry will be on display and for sale from May 20 to June 5 during “Atelier Vitrine” at ShopSCAD.
For a more in-depth look at the Atelier program, revisit our original article here. To learn about Graves’ fellow ambassador, Bradley Bowers, and his Atelier commission, check out his interview and profile here.
Written by Shelby Loebker.
