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The Ugly Necklace Jewelry Design Contest
09/06/10
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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