Mary Lee Hu
TRUTHSAYERS
© Mary Lee Hu. Photo by Doug Yaple
Mary Lee Hu is a world traveler. The decision to lead with this descriptor instead of goldsmith, educator, weaver, or leader in the art jewelry field is purposeful to inform that she is first and foremost insatiably curious. In fact, her CV includes five pages of “Related Foreign Travel” outlining in thrilling detail her many trips and what she saw—from arctic animals, folk art museums, and silver markets to indigo dyers, floating villages, coppersmiths, and more. The more traditional sections of her resume tell you she’s a “master” of her medium, has received multiple lifetime achievement awards, and was awarded the Smithsonian Visionary Award. “Insatiable” is a descriptor that can also be applied to her chosen craft, the forthrightness of which she has been a lifetime devotee. At sixteen, Hu was introduced to metalworking and immediately decided it would be her future, but it wasn’t until taking a weaving course during her MFA and being assigned an off-loom project that it all clicked.
Since then, she has expertly applied textile techniques to fine silver and high-carat gold wire, wrapping, knotting, braiding, knitting, and weaving it to create sumptuous, enveloping forms for the neck, ears, and hands. She favors neckpieces for their bigger scale, and her torques, chokers, and necklaces all somehow emulate a restrained opulence. “Fascinated by the whole range of body adornment through time and across cultures,” Hu is a generous maker, her work a testament to her boundless curiosity and dedication to her craft.
B. 1943, Lakewood, OH
Lives and works in Seattle, WA
JW196— Choker #78, 1991, 18 and 22k gold and 30 gauge gold wire. 6 3/8" (H) × 8 7/8" (W) × 1 1/2" (D). Courtesy of the artist and Mobilia Gallery, photography by R & Company.
JW195 – Bracelet #66, 2006, 18k and 22k gold. 3.5" (H) x 3.5" (W) x 3" (D). Courtesy of the artist and Mobilia Gallery, photography by R & Company.
JW177— Choker #96, 2021, 18 and 22K gold, 1.5" (H) x 9.5" (W) x 8.2" (D). Courtesy of the artist and Mobilia Gallery, photography by R & Company.