Robert Thomas Mullen
he/him
St Louis, MO, USA
Robert Thomas Mullen is a contemporary jeweler and educator. Currently, Robert teaches at Craft Alliance and additionally maintains a studio in St. Louis, MO. His work is represented by Penland Gallery, Craft Alliance, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Union Studio, Lux Center for the Arts, In Tandem Gallery, and several others.
Throughout his career, Robert’s work has been featured in publications such as New Brooches, On Body and Soul, Behind the Brooch, and Showcase 500 Rings and exhibited both nationally and internationally. After receiving his BFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Robert continued his studies by completing an MFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
“I delight in those rare parts of the natural world so often unseen. My work is a celebration of nature itself, drawing breath and inspiration from both new and old, remembered and forgotten. The materials have been collected and curated over the span of a lifetime spent waiting for the perfect piece.
As I grow older and the world becomes increasingly more complicated, I look to create beautiful and simple forms. In a world of sensory overload and social media, I encourage myself to always give a quiet moment to sit and reflect. A moment to focus on the overlooked.”
"A Dark Night", 14k gold, galaxy quartz and Herkimer diamonds, 3" x 2" x .25", 2024How does your work relate to the theme connection?
“I have always tried to organize the chaos in my life. This piece emerged from a loose pile of stones on my bench. I spend much of my studio practice sitting with my materials and piecing them together. This brooch transforms this disorder through subtle bonds between the stone settings. The connections between them make the piece stronger. I feel that this is a representation of our community. Strength, happiness, and safety as a group. My other submission utilizes a branch from Salem, MA cast in silver. Margaret Scott, my great aunt to the ninth, was one of the women persecuted and hanged for the way she lived her life. These individuals were victimized because of their beliefs and lifestyle. I am thankful that I live at a time where the tables are turning. People are being celebrated for their differences."
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores
What role does connection play in your creative process?
“My work is all about connections. I am taking all of these different materials and connecting them physically together. The sourcing of these materials and stones span my whole life. In fact, my Wreath Brooch includes stones cut for me by another queer artist, Allie Keast."
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Francely Flores
What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?
"I want to go back to my first submission to Queerphoria. I defined Queerphoria as the warm feeling I get wearing another queer artist's work. A deeper sense of connection is imbued. I had a hard time fitting in growing up. When I came out, I was suddenly part of this larger friend group of people. I had people backing me that I barely knew. I, like many others, feel most at ease around like-minded people. Having a community within my art field has proven greatly valuable. Not only within the field but in life in general."
"Crystal Wreath", Rock crystal, moonstone, stalactite, rutilated quartz, lithium quartz, plume agate, opalized wood and silver, 3.25 x 2.5 x 0.25", 2023
NYCJW24 @ UrbanGlass, Simon Leung
Anything else you would like to share about this work?
This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“The branch for the brooch was collected while exploring my family history in Salem, MA. I have fabricated all settings and soldered them together."
[queerphoria]v4 @ ECU Symposium
