Wren Schulz
They/He
Edinboro, Pennsylvania
Wren Schulz is a mixed media metals artist currently pursuing an MFA in jewelry and metals at Edinboro University. They received their undergraduate degree in Journalism in 2023 from the University of Georgia as well as completing a post baccalaureate in jewelry and metals there in 2024. Their work plays with combining plastics and fibers with traditional metals techniques to create layers of texture as part of a larger discussion on identity, queerness, and disability.
“Belt buckles have deep ties to rural iconography, which is prevalent in the agricultural world I often find myself in. Fabricating belt buckles appeals to my own interests by creating characterizations of narrations in a form of body adornment so often masculinized and tied to rural identity. The culture of farming and agriculture is commonly thought to be reserved for conservative, cisgender, white, heterosexual people. Growing up in a small rural town, working with horses my whole life, agriculture grounded me. My work showcases the intimacy of rural identities by recontextualizing traditional narrations into jewelry for utility, enjoyment, and expression.”
How does your work relate to the theme of flourish(ing)?
“I am a firm believer that at the core of queer identity is community. I think that it is incredibly hard to flourish without building and sustaining relationships with other queer individuals, but I also think that a large part of what makes our community so beautiful is that it is built off the need to create new support networks. We flourish because we have faced adversity, and it draws us together rather than further apart. This piece honours all the relationships in my life that have led me to who I am, and where I am, today. It exists as a bolo tie because I think a lot about the weight of identity, especially in today’s society, and what it means to express it – to actively acknowledge the good, the bad, the ugly and to show them proudly – to put them on and tighten them around your neck. I think of my identity sometimes as a moldable entity – not easily impressionable but still marked by the fingerprints of those I encounter, whether for the better or worse. My identity today is a result of so many fingerprints, some I flourish because of, some I flourish in spite of, but all necessary in making me blossom into who I am and see myself to be."
"Tracing Waypoints", Acrylic, anodized aluminum, leather cord, brass, 17.5in x 0.70in x 4.75in, 2025, Wren SchulzHow does your creative practice allow you to flourish (grow, thrive, blossom)?
“My current creative practice is what allows me to be as open and out as I am today. It gives me an outlet for expression that I do not think I would have found otherwise. There’s something so beautiful about being transgender and creating objects of adornment – of being able to experiment and play with gender expression fully in your own time and by your own hands. It gives me a space to channel energy into the creation of physical objects – to work through feelings and thoughts and to format them in a new language where touch and sight can communicate more fluidly than words. My practice also allows me to work in a way that compliments and accommodates my disability – it keeps me in an unconventional balance that I do not think would be achievable without it. I flourish today because my creative practice builds the space necessary to make my life accessible. .”
As a queer+ artist, what would you like to see and/or what do you need in order to flourish during this time?
“I think that the most important factor to flourishing is intentional community. We live in a time when minorities are under nearly daily attack by legislation and media, and I find that it is incredibly easy for that to take over our lives. That being said, I think the most beautiful and important part of minority communities is that our history in the world, and particularly in the United States, is heavily based in protest. I want to see more queer people speaking out, taking to the streets, fighting for those in the community who are unable to or more vulnerable. I want to see us rallying in a way that builds a clear and beautiful picture of what it means to be queer and to have community. I want to see us putting words into action to actively build the world that we can thrive in.”
[queerphoria]v4 @ ECU Symposium