Mia Ferraro
They/Them
New York, USA
My name is Mia Ferraro and I am a junior BFA candidate studying Metals at SUNY New Paltz. My love for jewelry is found in creating wearables through casting to explore how the handmade can blend with the manufactured.
“This work explores natural themes of decay by representing them in molded manufactured objects. The contrast between the casted bronze teeth and fabricated brass flosser explore the manufactured aspect while the content of the missing teeth depict tension between the fear of death and the inevitable of decay. “
How does your work relate to the theme of flourish(ing)?
“These dentures, acquired from a friend whose affinity for oddities blossomed from her days as a medical student, are proof that even when humans decay, we cling to life by manufacturing the proof of it ourselves. We dream of flourishing, and therefore have found ways, no matter how artificial, to create an image of ourselves in our prime. Each cast has more and more teeth missing, however, representing the inevitability of decay. The flosser acts as a universal symbol of dentistry and care, but also as another manufactured grooming tool used to upkeep the human body. Romanticizing beauty routines and smile lines can only push death so far away from us. This piece uses industrial practices, wax casting, to explore how manufacturing in metal translates to other areas of industry and if these objects, without their human partner, translate as objects of the living or morbid reminders of the dead.“
"Sweet Tooth", Casted bronze, brass, copper, 11 x 6.5 x 0.5, 2025, Mia Ferraro How does your creative practice allow you to flourish (grow, thrive, blossom)?
“Metal is the only thing I love enough to fail. This artform has seen me through my most frustrating moments and my most prideful. Yet its ability to test my craft, patience, and work ethic has never once let me down. I can trust that although every studio session may not be exactly "fruitful", the process of learning my craft has helped me develop a new meaning to failure. High expectations and standards are important, but the learning that comes with failure is something pride in perfection can never teach.“
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
As a queer+ artist, what would you like to see and/or what do you need in order to flourish during this time?
“Space away from prying eyes. Queer artists are expected to break boundaries, take the glass ceiling shards and cut a new space for themselves in the world. But all I want is to be left alone and allow myself to create for my person, not my identity. I love being queer. And, it is not all of me, only some. My art does not need to be quantified by my queerness or vise versa. “
“This work was a casting assignment given to me my professor Amelia Toelke to explore what it means to create a multiple. This process taught me how we can redefine industry in our practice to negate the negative connotation of "manufactured". My research on the multiple brought me to other materials being casted to perform a specific function outside of wearability. Her guidance on this project helped me realize its full potential, its deeper connection to my work as an artist, and my love of the representing the body in my work. “
[queerphoria]v4 @ ECU Symposium