Not currently on display at the V&A

Pin

2001 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This pin was made for the 'pin swap' at the annual conference of the Society of North American Goldsmiths held in 2001 in Richmond, Virginia. It is part of a collection of pins made for this event by the students of Robert Ebendorf at East Carolina University, and presented to the V&A.

A 'pin swap' is an ice-breaking event often held at the start of American jewellery conferences. Delegates make a batch of inexpensive, original and distinctive pins or brooches which they then exchange with other attendees. It is intended to encourage people to circulate and socialise, and generates an ingenious if perhaps ephemeral array of commemorative work.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Stained wood set with steel pins
Brief description
Brooch of stained wood and steel, by Christina Miller, USA, 2001.
Physical description
A curved slab of blue-stained wood set with 22 patinated steel pins above three rows of small holes. According to the artist 'It is made primarily of wood and has been enhanced with shoe polish, prismacolor pencils and small steel nails. The pin mechanisms on the back are inexpensive commercial findings.' Christina Miller professes 'a particular interest in re-using old materials and dealing with surfaces which reflect decay and the ageing process'.
Dimensions
  • Height: 8cm
  • Width: 6.52cm
  • Depth: 1.62cm
Production typeLimited edition
Marks and inscriptions
Unmarked
Credit line
Given by the Artist
Object history
This pin was made for the 'pin swap' held at the 2001 conference of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, Richmond, Virginia. It is part of a collection of pins made for this event by the students of Robert Ebendorf at East Carolina University, and given to Clare Phillips who represented the V&A at this conference (M.16-2001 to M.26-2001).
Historical context
A 'pin swap' is an ice-breaking event traditionally held at the start of American jewellery conferences. Delegates make a batch of inexpensive but distinctive pins or brooches which they then exchange with other attendees. It is intended to encourage people to circulate and socialise, and generates an ingenious if perhaps ephemeral array of commemorative work.
Production
Attribution note: From a series of twenty.
Subject depicted
Summary
This pin was made for the 'pin swap' at the annual conference of the Society of North American Goldsmiths held in 2001 in Richmond, Virginia. It is part of a collection of pins made for this event by the students of Robert Ebendorf at East Carolina University, and presented to the V&A.

A 'pin swap' is an ice-breaking event often held at the start of American jewellery conferences. Delegates make a batch of inexpensive, original and distinctive pins or brooches which they then exchange with other attendees. It is intended to encourage people to circulate and socialise, and generates an ingenious if perhaps ephemeral array of commemorative work.
Collection
Accession number
M.16-2001

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Record createdJuly 11, 2001
Record URL
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