/kwir/-fôrēə/

queer + euphoria =[queerphoria]

queer - umbrella term that describes sexual and gender identities other than straight and cisgender

euphoria - a state of intense happiness and self-confidence

[queerphoria] is a contemporary jewelry and sculpture exhibition inviting 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals into a meaningful conversation about their identity. Through these written and visual exhibitions, we encourage dialogue around the difficult topics that surround the relationship between the queer and non-queer community.

In response to global systemic dehumanization, the climate crisis, and rapid structural erosion driven by institutional power and big money, [queerphoria] returns to NYC Jewelry Week 2026 to explore the theme of restoration. Not merely as a technical process, but as a radical act of honoring queer and trans bodies, love, and evolving self-creation.

[queerphoria] volume 6: restoration arrives at a critical historical time. In a landscape marked by violent legislation, AI’s severe environmental and ethical impact, and destructive modern systems; the act of making by hand is inherently political.

We invite makers to submit work that celebrates, mourns, deconstructs, and reimagines what restoration means within their creative practices, their movements through the world, and their personal adornment. By weaving healing together with resistance, this exhibition provides an essential narrative, reclaiming adornment as a tool to mend broken lineages, prevent erasure, and restore the fabric of our communities.

[queerphoria] volume 6 builds on the previous five volumes and explores what it means to grow, evolve, and thrive as a queer artist in today’s world. Volume 6 continues our history of creating dialogue by bringing together individual artists' works and stories. Our collective stories create an experience of belonging and community, reflecting the complex beauty of queer voices and practices.

[queerphoria] is not only an exhibition- it is an educational platform, a cultural archive, and a radical act of visibility. Our community is an international cohort of 2SLGBTQIA+ contemporary jewelry artists, metalsmiths, and sculptors, balancing emerging makers with established voices. This year, [queerphoria] vol 6: restoration is being curated by Queer Metalsmiths’ co-founder Tracey Carswell and guest jurors and [queerphoria] artists Omar Monroy and Brennan Lee.

[queerphoria] is to be seen. [queerphoria] is to be felt. [queerphoria] is to be heard.