Photograph by Leland P. Johnston
The avant-garde currents of Pop art and Funk nearly passed jewelry by, but there were conspicuous exceptions. One was the work of J. Fred Woell. In the 1960s, the discipline was prying itself away from precious materials and modernist abstract forms. Woell was one of several makers who introduced found objects; he was more unusual in bringing in pop culture references, transforming his work into a wise and witty running commentary on current events. Like Andy Warhol, his personal iconography touched on comics, consumer brands, and celebrities.
Yet Woell had a much broader interest in the mythologies of America, from the idealized gunslingers of the Wild West and the countervailing tragedy of Native American forced removals, to more contemporary heroes, such as those shown in The Good Guys, which includes pop iconography right out of the funny papers—Superman, Little Orphan Annie, and Dick Tracy. Woell’s influence became widespread in the years after Objects: USA, not just through his work but also his teaching, notably at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine, where he lived from 1973 until his retirement in 2001.
Sorority Pin. Designed and made by Fred Woell, 1966.
3.75" L x 1.25" W x 3.75" H
9.5cm L x 3.2cm W x 9.5cm H
SM7979
Courtesy of Eleanor Moty