Turtle's Webb

Resume | Why I Like Pearls

ARTIST'S STATEMENT:

I was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1967. I grew up in Baltimore,
Maryland and Humbolt, Tennessee. In primary, middle and high school
I developed a love for the humanities, particularly history, literature and
poetry. In college, while double majoring in psychology and history, I discovered the craft of jewelry.

My change in vocation from a historian to a silversmith is a classic
example of a liberal arts education. Jewelry making 101 was an
elective course which I thought would be fun and relaxing. Little did I
know that silversmithing would return to haunt me in graduate school,
when I was obtaining my Master's degree in African History.
I discovered, to my surprise, that I had a desire to create. Designing a
piece of jewelry and bringing that concept to life is magical. To that
end, I spent two and a half years apprenticed to Jamal Mims at
Sun Gallery Goldsmiths in Washington D. C., and studied at
The Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and The Maryland
Institute of Art in Baltimore, Maryland.

I bring to the art form my love of African history, sculpture and ancient
Japanese design as I explore the basic techniques of gold and
silversmithing. And I study the artistic and cultural significance of talismans
and fetishes in traditional African societies.

My belief is that adornment should be more than just some accessory
to match shoes and purse, or complement a tie. Each piece of jewelry can and
should be a talisman, a symbol of our beliefs, desires and hopes.
Hence, jewelry making for me at its essence is a spiritual act of giving
birth.

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RESUME: SONDA TAMARR ALLEN

Education:

2000	Silversmithing Workshop with Brian Clarke Wicklow, Ireland (two weeks)
1999	Silversmithing Workshop with Brian Clarke Wicklow, Ireland (one month)
1998	Silvermithing Workshop with Brian Clarke Wicklow, Ireland (one month)
1995	Maryland Institute, College of Art, studio courses metal/jewelry fabrication with Shana Kroitz
1994	Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina, concentration in Landscape Photography with Gil LeeBrick
1994	Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina, workshop Repousse and Chasing with Lucinda Brogden
1992-1994	Sun Gallery Goldsmiths Washington D.C. Silver and Goldsmith Apprentice to Jamal Mims
1991	M.A. History, Howard University, Washington D.C.
1989	B.A. St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's County Maryland

Distinctions:

2000	Art Works Current Exhibitions
1999-1995	Washington Guild of Goldsmiths Future Exhibitions
1999-1995	American Craft Council
1999-1995	Society of North American Goldsmiths
1995	Baltimore City Council Scholarship
1994	Studio Assistant Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1994	Directors Scholarship Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1989-1991	Graduate Assistantship, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
1986	National Endowment for the Humanities Younger Scholars Grant
1986-1989	Mathias DeSousa Fellowship, St. Mary's College of Maryland, Maryland
1985	Maryland Senatorial Scholarship, Baltimore, Maryland Professional Memberships

To View Past Art Shows and Exhibits: Click Here

Sonda Tamarr Allen maintains a studio in Baltimore, Maryland and has exhibited her work for nine years (1991-2000) under the trade name Turtle's Webb at Eastern Market in Washington D.C.

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WHY I LIKE PEARLS...

I like the idea of pearls. The way they are formed, their textures, shapes and colors. A pearl is formed inside mollusks, like oysters and mussels; when an abrasive irritant gets inside the shell, the mollusks secrets a substance called nacre; which coats the foreign particle and makes a pearl (Fred Ward, Pearls). This metaphor can be extended to the human dimension, as in the proverb “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” I love the idea of folks walking around with pearls hanging all over them. Things get in our guts and irritate us, and we coat them with our lives and make something beautiful of them. People are constantly making their own pearls. I love creating with them.

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