Today we’d like to introduce you to Season James.
Season, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I have been making things with my hands for as long as I can remember. Ceramics, paintings, sculpture, pillows, jewelry, you name it. I feel like it’s in my hereditary make up to create. My mother was a visual merchandiser in the 70’s, her mother was a master seamstress and her father was a fine jeweler. I have experimented with many different materials and mediums since I was about 16.
When I was in college, I worked part time at an artisan jewelry shop in Princeton, NJ. There I learned how to construct, repair & illustrate finished pieces of jewelry. In 2000, I moved to Providence, RI and the skills I learned at the shop and in my studio art classes culminated into a job as a design assistant at a commercial jewelry design firm. The knowledge, experience & relationships that I gained in that industry proved invaluable when it came to starting my own independent line.
Above/Below was born in 2013, just before the birth of my daughter. I had strong intentions to continue creating & earning a living while embracing motherhood. I’m eternally grateful to all of those who have helped me along the way so far.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Above/Below aims to bring beautiful raw materials to the surface to be viewed and worn and appreciated. I’m very interested in mixing mediums and creating work that incorporates stones & minerals, brass, fibers, ceramics and recently plexiglass. The jewelry I make is influenced by architecture, mobiles, science and the quest to balance oneself with their environment,
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
My advice would be to embrace your role as an artist and to reflect and interpret the world with your own unique voice. And to recognize your ability to effect change and be an ally in your communities. Help in any way that you can, even if the issues aren’t affecting you directly. You can make the world more beautiful with your work while simultaneously calling attention to problems and people/animals who need support. Do that. And then do more of that.
Since I began my small business, Above/Below has donated and auctioned work in support of the refugees in Syria, the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting, Everytown for Gun Safety, the ACLU and many local organizations that serve women, the LGBTQ+ community, schools and animal shelters. If it’s in your means to do so, give something back.
One of the greatest aspects of being self-employed/self-driven is being able to make work that moves you and your clients without the direction of an outside party. While I consider what I do to be “wearable art”, I’m not sure that historically jewelry is considered a medium for political expression. That said, when politics took a turn in 2016, the sales of my Middle Finger & Protection necklaces skyrocketed. I doubt I could’ve produced those designs while working for someone else. There’s freedom & power in that expression.
Lastly, don’t ever undervalue yourself or your work.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The majority of my work is one of a kind, so the best way to see my latest pieces in via my Instagram and my website. Also, my jewelry is sold by over 30 independent retailers (most of them women-owned) and at one museum shop at MASS MoCA. My website has a list of stores and institutions that carry my work and also a list of upcoming events. On August 26th, I’ll have the pleasure of exhibiting my jewelry along with many other talented creatives at the Boston Women’s Market at the Loring Greenough House in Jamaica Plain. And I’ll be popping up at Madewell on Newbury St. on November 4th.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://abovebelowjewelry.bigcartel.com/
- Phone: 4012639697
- Email: abovebelowjewelry@gmail.com
- Instagram: @abovebelowjewelry
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AboveBelowJewelry/
Image Credit:
All images courtesy of Above/Below Jewelry
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