Anna Elizabeth Sherman
she/her
Anna Sherman is a Philadelphia-based metalsmith known for her jewelry practice. A 2023 Tyler School of Art and Architecture graduate, Anna's practice melds hand-built methods with industrial technological processes. Her work utilizes delicate silversmithing with titanium anodizing to create wearable pieces elevating paper scraps and mass-produced findings. Anna was recently recognized as one of the Art Jewelry Forum’s Outstanding Students of 2023. Her pieces have been featured in group exhibitions across the East Coast and Midwest. Through her work Anna sparks emotional resonance, inviting viewers to recognize the fragility of their own memories and the value of our shared connections.
“Loneliness is feeling nostalgic for experiences that were never yours. For moments, I hold the dreams of others in my own hands. I hold their scraps, lost to time, with a particular gentleness. Receipts, tickets, coupons, notes, tags. Capturing these fragile objects as precious jewelry, I seek to preserve the wistful memories they are associated with. Collecting paper scraps serves as an act of self-preservation in the face of my own pervasive loneliness. We are made of our memories and this remembrance saves us, despite how patchworked it may become.”
"‘Adorned Serenity’ is being courageous enough to be bold and present, to take up space physically and visually. It is to find peace in your identity and feel confident in your being. It is to have certainty of your worth. My work elevates negligible materials into ample sterling silver and titanium. Findings are smithed and formed, turning the meager split ring into an item of value. Keychains are borderline tchotchkes but this one is an extension of the typical mass-produced format. Picture it hanging with your keys on a carabiner. Every surface, edge, connection point is well-considered resulting in a notably refined piece. It is subtle but bold. The closer you look, the more details emerge. The piece is proof you experienced a particular moment, and the work functions as a wearable point for conversation. "Where has it been, and who has it seen, and who did you love?" It gives the wearer an opportunity to unequivocally share their truth while functioning as an everyday object.”
How does your work relate to the theme Adorned Serenity— How does the work function as a wearable safe space?
#Number5, Sterling Silver and Anodized Titanium, 3" x 1" x 1/4," 2023“Safe spaces are not always blaring, and oftentimes subtle. They are unconditional, long lasting, and even warm. They are a refugee from varying degrees of oppression in our society. Safe spaces can be created anywhere, despite any circumstance. They are to be seen and valued. This piece will trigger differing memories for each viewer while also being specific to myself and my own lived experience. It presents me an opportunity to open up myself as a safe space to others who ask. Jewelry can be shared by various wearers, each who may have something varied to speak on.”
How do you see this piece existing in the world as a wearable safe space?
Or is this piece specific to you?
#Number5, Sterling Silver and Anodized Titanium, 3" x 1" x 1/4," 2023"Experience. Live. Touch. Love. Then keep the remnants of your encounters. Receipts, tickets, coupons, notes, tags. Working with three-dimensional CAD software enables me to recreate the designs of my found scraps, harnessing my control over their presentation. A muted rainbow spectrum cultivates melancholy, the joy from once bright tones is vanquished. In order to confound perception, text and symbols are distorted through masking techniques. Syntax-specific language is introduced, with text chosen to appeal to emotion. Often text about the personal encounter is etched into the back of the piece as an intimate message for the wearer. Silversmithing is relied upon for form finding, bringing dimensionality into my work, reflecting the delicacy of handling a piece of paper.
Only the wearer knows their own perception of a memory, and these objects trigger different memories for each viewer. Where has it been, and who has it seen, and who did you love? We can live moments over and over again if we are able to trigger their recall. Jewelry is an incredible vessel for this as it relies on the physical body. "
If someone found this piece and needed an instruction manual to make the safe space work — what’s a quick how to?
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“This work is the result of falling in and out of love - romantic interests, strangers, and one-time encounters. My entire life I struggled to form connections as a result of my queerness, leading to my self-titled "pervasive loneliness." I was surrounded by the wrong people, and portraying only a curated part of myself. My work has always been my voice when I am too apprehensive to speak. This current body is coming into acceptance of myself despite the rallying torment of my background. I can create a place of safety and honesty in my sphere as I continue to carve out space to love openly and without fear.”
