{"id":43507,"date":"2019-08-24T11:30:34","date_gmt":"2019-08-24T15:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=43507"},"modified":"2019-08-23T23:14:53","modified_gmt":"2019-08-24T03:14:53","slug":"jewelry-that-tells-a-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/jewelry-that-tells-a-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewelry That Tells a Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just the other day<\/a>, I was writing about how jewelry — especially jewelry created by individual designers — can rise to the level of art, with real meaning beyond physical adornment. So thank you to Tony Cooler, who pointed out this remarkable brooch by Phyllis Bowdwin, which was posted by the Smithsonian on Instagram. The work commemorates and mourns 400 years of slavery with an illustration of one of the ships used to transport African people. It’s called “The Middle Passage – African Holocaust, ‘Maafa’,” and you can learn more about it from the Smithsonian’s caption.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

Look closer at this brooch to see a diagram of the hull of a ship used to transport Africans, packed in horrifying conditions, during the Middle Passage. There are five cowrie shells\u2014a number that is a symbol of justice. Phyllis Bowdwin created this pin to commemorate 400 years of slavery, and has described her work as a history lesson and a memory of the African American legacy. Inspired by her African background, Bowdwin combines traditional African craft techniques with contemporary influences. She experiments with organic materials such as wood, amber, bone and cowrie shell, combining them with precious metals. "The Middle Passage – African Holocaust, 'Maafa' (terrible thing in Swahili) Brooch," dated 1993 to 1996, is in our @cooperhewitt. #Jamestown400 #ANationsStory<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Smithsonian<\/a> (@smithsonian) on