Branch & Twig

Ruth McKinney Burket

Branch & Twig

2016-2018

Branch, December 2016, 6 porcelain branch brooches 3" h, 1/2"diameter on a shelf 12" long and 4" wide., Twig: 5 porcelain brooches with gold luster, 2"h, 1/4" diameter.

Branch: These images document the collaborative social practice-based project entitled Branch featured in the The Nature of Things exhibition at the Salem Art Association’s A.N. Bush Gallery in Oregon November 12th-December 24th 2016. The work consisted of 160 handmade pin-vases, which were cast in porcelain and contain a redwood tree cutting. When worn, the pin-vases allow one to hold a fragile living thing close to the heart, prompting attentiveness and careful movement to catalyze mindfulness and serve as a reminder that we are part of and will always be entwined with the natural world.

Over the course of the exhibition viewers became collaborators by taking the pin and tree home, nurturing it and planting it. In exchange, visitors were asked to share their personal connection to a tree(s) through writing or drawing. Documentation photos of participants wearing their trees were posted in the gallery and shared via instagram (@secondnatureproject) and twitter (SecondNatureProject@jodydunphy).

“A garden is a place where people can learn to use nature without harming it.” Michael Pollan

Twig Tussie Mussie: Named after the 15th Century Victorian Brooch, this jewelry piece is a tiny porcelain vase that can hold water and be filled with the treasures of the earth. The Twig Tussie Mussie brooches were crafted with the intention that the wearer would move with a heightened awareness of our connection with the natural world. Fill the twig with colorful wildflowers, red winter berries or fragrant evergreen branches and adorn yourself with the earth’s most exquisite sculptures in this delicate and versatile piece of fine art jewelry.

About the artist: Ruth McKinney Burket received her MFA in ceramics in 2011 from the State University of NY at New Paltz. She is a mom, an artist and the ceramic studio manager at the Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosedale NY. Her art practice is fueled by a desire for social engagement, community building and creative collaborations. As she examines the role that objects can play in shaping our interactions, behaviors, and habits she aims to inspire people to be socially proactive and use creativity as a catalyst for change.

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