Bailey Haas
She/They
Tahoe Vista, CA/USA
“Bailey Haas earned a Bachelor's degree in Art Education at Cal Poly Humboldt in 2025, with a central focus in metal smithing techniques. During their time in undergrad they exhibited their work at Cal Poly Humboldt’s student gallery, the non-profit Redwood Arts Association, and the Yuma Art Symposium. Along with countless exhibitions and open calls submitted to, they obtained a long standing position as a studio monitor during their undergraduate for the Cal Poly Humboldt Jewelry studio. Currently they reside in Lake Tahoe, CA, working on building their portfolio for a graduate program to refine and explore different techniques in metal smithing.”
“Their most recent body of work explores the idea of invisible touch—how every action, despite it being noticed in the final product, creates a tether between the maker, the work, and the viewer/possessor. “
How does your work relate to the theme of restoration?
“With the fusion of scrap silver to create an imperfect setting, and the simple image on the “stone” to resemble the less than desirable queer figure in the fetal position. Foetuses mitosis (2026) creates restoration through the act of re-imagining the beauty of the queer figure, an inherently political and over sexualized symbol in today's world, through the emphasis of restoring as an act of changing one's perception of an object. ”
"Foetuses mitosis", silver, copper, enamel, 2''x1.5'', 2026, Bailey HaasHow does your creative practice allow you to restore (renew, return, reclaim, recover)?
“My avid practice of minimizing my waste as an artist. Along with the rising prices of precious metals, makes it difficult to create the way jewelers used to. The act of repurposing scrap materials that would otherwise be thrown away, has allowed me to not only continue to create, but also teach me the importance of finding or creating beauty in the less desirable”
As a queer+, artist, what do you see can be, needs to be, or cannot be restored?
“Something I've learned cannot be restored is generational trauma, all we can do is move forward. My grandfather, someone who learned through watching. Taught me in many ways how to observe and learn. “Just watch” he would say to me with a smile, and you would watch and just know exactly what he did, but in many others he kept quiet to keep the peace whether he had an opinion or not. Later in life he started to recognize that his silence did a lot of harm to my family, and he tried to “fix It” in the only way he knew how, which was to have us “Just watch”. Since his recent passing I've learned a lot more from him than I ever thought I would. There is no repair for that damage of silence, there is only growth, forward movement, and open conversations with people who “just watch” without judgement.”
Photographs Courtesy of the Artist