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The Ugly Necklace Jewelry Design Contest

07/31/10

U.B.M. (ugly bagamuffin mojo) by Kate Reeve - Photo Copyright Land of OddsA Jewelry Contest "With a Twist"

For the second consecutive year, The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts (CBJA),* in conjunction with Land of Odds*and Be Dazzled Beads,* held a beaded-jewelry contest featuring the work of artisans across the United States. The entries would be reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges and voted on publicly online, and the winners would receive valuable prizes.

But this annual contest is not your typical, run-of-the-mill jewelry competition. Entries are not judged on their beauty, balance, and design harmony - but rather on their ugliness! Don't be fooled into thinking the contest is all fun and games. Notwithstanding their ugliness, successful designs must demonstrate each artist's mastery of jewelry design theory (including wearability and functionality) by their ability to break from it, and each design must be accompanied by a creatively descriptive poem.

Contest History

The CBJA was founded in 2000 in Nashville, Tennessee. Frustrated by the lack of professional art education for bead artisans, it devised an educational curriculum for beaders offering advanced study in artistic design theory. The CBJA aims to teach its students not only the technical methods of beading, but also how to create true artwork through their designs.

The Ugly Necklace Contest was born when the CBJA decided it needed to challenge its students in a unique new way. According to Warren Feld of Land of Odds, "The Contest was conceived as a fun way to break students out of the traditional craft mold, and get them to think, ponder, and translate their feelings and perceptions of what is 'Ugly' into an organized and functional necklace design."

Judging

A panel of six beadwork instructors and artisans selected ten semi-finalists from all the entries received for the 2nd annual contest. The ten semi-finalists' entries were then presented to the public on the Land of Odds website, and the final voting began. The two entries that received the most online votes would be declared the Winner and the Runner-up, respectively. Prizes were valuable shopping sprees at the Land of Odds.

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