Clamshell - Pearl Necklace
Clamshell - Pearl Necklace
Hand-knotted freshwater pearl necklace with silver clamshells, silver cast salmon bones, and morganite.
18" long.
"These wearable works of art create aesthetic, built from northwest coast values. The use of natural materials for adornment of royalty on the coast goes beyond use of what was available- This necklace visually expresses how much high ranking coastal women prized the tending of the clam beds. Our cultivation of long term survival for our people was through careful management of the ecosystem. We find new ways to honour this relationship while living within cityscapes, new ways of living that interact indigenously with the land." - Morgan Asoyuf
This piece was created for the exhibition ‘Cycles: Themes of Renewal in Northwest Coast Jewellery’ at Lattimer Gallery between September 18 – October 2, 2021.
Morgan Asoyuf
CULTURAL GROUP:
Ts'msyen
BORN:
March 24, 1984
BIRTHPLACE:
Prince Rupert, BC
Morgan Asoyuf (nee. Green) was born March 24, 1984 in Prince Rupert, BC, to parents Henry Green and Jean Gardiner. Morgan is Ts'msyen Eagle Clan from Lax Kwallams, BC. Morgan's artistic career started with Blanche Macdonald Centre's Fashion Design Diploma, and an interest in painting Ts’msyen designs. She carved cedar and alder while working with Henry Green, learning about the properties of the wood and how to properly care for it. She took Bronze Casting at The Crucible art compound in Oakland, where industry professionals taught her both investment mold and sand casting. In 2007, Morgan assisted Haida/Salish carver Jordon Seward in the creation of a 30-foot memorial totem pole for Vancouver’s missing women of the Downtown Eastside. In 2010, Morgan began studying at Vancouver Metal Art School under Gerold Mueller, a goldsmith from Pforzheim Germany. She received diplomas in both Jewellery Design and Stone Cutting learning special techniques such as hollow construction, custom stone cutting, and advanced soldering. In 2014, she had a major solo exhibition at Vancouver's Bill Reid Gallery titled Ts'msyen Transforming, which displayed examples of her hollow-form jewellery. Morgan has studied design and engraving with Haida artist Richard Adkins, and completed gem setting courses at Revere Academy in San Francisco.
