Upperville, VA 
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The division between fiction and reality can be a struggle to distinguish. Cabinets of Curiosity that were meant to document natural and manmade wonders in the past, news reports based on urban legends and deep fakes that flood social media are quickly circulated and promulgated. People feverishly consume these fictional narratives and are often duped into believing in their alleged authenticity. While at times this willingness of others to accept the fictional is a source of frustration, the sense of wonder and doubt one feels when confronted with something that feels to be stranger than fiction can be amusing.
This work is centered on the activities that take place in a fictional laboratory or examination room. These environments are where the microscopic world is augmented and made easily observable. Microbial colonies can be cultured, studied, and disseminated. The body can be observed, manipulated, and controlled. These pieces reference an assortment of instruments and surgical tools of the past. The objects have no specific function and are fantastical, ambiguous, and/or impractical.
Chloe Darke is from Groveland, Massachusetts. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors in Metalsmithing & Jewelry from Maine College of Art in May 2011. Chloe was employed as a silversmith at Old Newbury Crafters in Amesbury, Massachusetts from October 2011 to August 2016. She and her coworkers are featured in an episode of the PBS television series Craft in America entitled "Forge." She received her Master of Fine Arts in Metals from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2019.
Her work was recently on display in Contemporary Connections: Mastery in Metalat the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Disrupt at the Craft Council of British Columbia, and Object Permanence at the Baltimore Jewelry Center. She is currently based in Virginia.
Chloe Darke
chloe.darke.metals@gmail.com
Education 2019 Master of Fine Arts - University of Wisconsin-Madison – Metalsmithing & Jewelry
2011 Bachelor of Fine Arts - Maine College of Art - Metalsmithing & Jewelry
Exhibitions
2020 Object Permanence - Baltimore Jewelry Center - Baltimore, Maryland
Disrupt - Craft Council of British Columbia - Vancouver, British Columbia
Micro/Macro - Indiana University Bloomington - Bloomington, Indiana - Missouri State University - Springfield, Missouri - Ball State University - Muncie, Indiana - Earlham College - Richmond, Indiana - University of Wisconsin-Stout - Menomonie, Wisconsin
Contemporary Connections: Mastery in Metal - Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (Invitational Exhibition) - Laurel, Mississippi
Mixed Media - Nazareth College Arts Center Gallery - Rochester, New York
2019 Craft Forms - Wayne Art Center - Wayne, Pennsylvania
School of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition - Furlong Gallery - University of Wisconsin-Stout
Secrete, Augment, Testify - Chazen Museum of Art (Master of Fine Arts Solo Exhibition) - Madison, Wisconsin
Grassfed - Adorned Spaces - Society of North American Goldsmiths: The Loop Conference - Chicago, Illinois
Handmade for Home - Museum of Wisconsin Art (Invitational Exhibition) - West Bend, Wisconsin
Articulating Craft - Nazareth College Arts Center Gallery - Rochester, New York
2018 HERE TODAY - Society of North American Goldsmiths - Online Exhibition
#metalrulz #justbecause #bigshelf - Gallery 7 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Forge, Form, Fabricate - University Museum - Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Radical Jewelry Makeover: Wisconsin - Union Art Gallery (collaborative piece) - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Seeks Human Host - Gallery 7 (Master of Arts Show) - University of Wisconsin- Madison
InFlux - The Enamelist Society - Online Exhibition
Alchemy4 - National Ornamental Metal Museum - Memphis, Tennessee
2017 Nature and Neon - Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts - Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Swap|Meet - Quarter Gallery - University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Against Interpretation - Gallery 7 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Forge, Form, Fabricate - University Museum - Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
We Made You a Mixtape - Art Lofts - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Nexus: The 2017 Juried Student Exhibition - Society of North American Goldsmiths Nexus Conference - New Orleans, Louisiana
Alchemy4 - Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts - Gatlinburg, Tennessee - Ohio Craft Museum - Columbus, Ohio
Making Your Mark - Providence Art Club - Providence, Rhode Island
Craft Work - Gallery 7 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
Witnesses - Art Lofts - University of Wisconsin-Madison
2016 A Metals Panoply - Art Lofts - University of Wisconsin-Madison
2015 Earthy Abstractions - Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery - Fayetteville, North Carolina 2014 Women’s Work - Freehand Gallery (Invitational Exhibition) - Los Angeles, California
2013 Nude Attitude - Peoria Art Guild - Peoria, Illinois
2011 Thesis Exhibition - Maine College of Art - Portland, Maine BFA Index Exhibition - Maine College of Art - Portland, Maine
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry for Tomorrow We Die - Free Street Gallery - Portland, Maine
2010 BFA Show - Maine College of Art - Portland, Maine Thinking Outside the Body - Institute of Contemporary Art - Portland, Maine
Merit Show - Maine College of Art - Portland, Maine
Publications / Television
2020 LRMA News: Winter 2020, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, cover, p. 3, 2020
2019 Craft Forms 2019, (Exhibition Catalogue), Wayne Art Center, p. 1, 2019
“SNAG Maker Profiles: Featured Maker of the Week,” Riveting News, Society of North American Goldsmiths, October 28, 2019
SNAG JAMS, Jewelry and Metals Survey Vol. 3 | 2019, (Forthcoming Print and Digital Publication), Society of North American Goldsmiths
Sunday Afternoon Live, Secrete, Augment, Testify: Works by Chloe Darke Interview, Chazen Museum of Art, June 5, 2019
SNAG JAMS, Jewelry and Metals Survey Vol. 2 | 2018, (Print and Digital Publication), Society of North American Goldsmiths, p. 143, 2019
Michael Muckian, “Darke Shadows: An artist plumbs unsettling depths in Chazen exhibit, ” Isthmus, April 25, 2019
2018 Doug Erickson, “Through ‘radical’ project, students are turning unwanted jewelry into pieces to be cherished anew,” University of Wisconsin-Madison News, March 30, 2018
Gayle Worland, “Hand over those jewels: Your 'ethical' accessories wanted,” Wisconsin State Journal, February 11, 2018
8 O’Clock Buzz with Jonathan Zarov, Radical Jewelry Makeover Interview, WORT Madison, January 26, 2018
SNAG JAMS, Jewelry and Metals Survey Vol. 1 | 2017, (Print and Digital Publication),
Society of North American Goldsmiths, p. 158, 2018
Nature and Neon, (Exhibition Catalogue), Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, p. 8, 2018
2017 Alchemy4: Transformation in Contemporary Enamels, (Exhibition Catalogue), The Enamelist Society, p. 53, 2017
2013 Forge - Craft in America - PBS - Original Airdate: October 26, 2013, Episode 10
Residencies
2021 Artist Residency Program (Forthcoming) - Houston Center for Contemporary Craft -
Houston, Texas
2020 Winter Residency - Penland School of Craft - Penland, North Carolina
Awards and Acknowledgements
2020 Honorable Mention - Juried Exhibition “Implantation and Drainage Tray (with organ)” Mixed Media - Nazareth College Arts Center Gallery - Rochester, New York
2019 Russell and Paula Panczenko MFA Prize - Chazen Museum of Art - Madison, Wisconsin
2018 InFlux Honorable Mention Award - Juried Exhibition “Seed Pod Necklace #2” InFlux – The Enamelist Society Student Exhibition 2018
2017 Alchemy4 Exhibition Award - Juried Student Exhibition “Seed Pod Necklace” Alchemy4
The Enamelist Society Conference 2017
Honorable Mention - Juried Exhibition “Venus IV” Making Your Mark - Providence Art Club - Providence, Rhode Island
2015 Belvedere Fund - Maine College of Art - Portland, Maine Honorable Mention - Juried Exhibition “Venus IV” Earthy Abstractions - Ellington-
White Contemporary Gallery - Fayetteville, North Carolina
2013 Third Place - Juried Exhibition “Breast Bowl” Nude Attitude - Peoria Art Guild - Peoria, Illinois 2011 Fine Metals Scholarship - Peters Valley Craft Center - Layton, New Jersey 2010 Fine Metals Scholarship - Peters Valley Craft Center - Layton, New Jersey
2007 MECA Vision scholarship - Maine College of Art - Portland, Maine
Work Experience
2020- Metals Studio Assistant - Ayrshire Farm - Upperville, Virginia
2019-20 Lecturer - Metals and Contemporary Art Jewelry & Foundations- University of Wisconsin-Stout
2018-19 Teacher of Record - Introduction to Art - University of Wisconsin-Madison
2017-18 Wood Shop and Foundry Monitor - University of Wisconsin-Madison
2016-17 Professor’s Assistant - Professor Jeffrey Clancy - University of Wisconsin-Madison
2012- Jewelry and Custom Accessory Maker - JW Reilly Boston - Boston, Massachusetts 2011-16Silversmith - Old Newbury Crafters - Amesbury, Massachusetts
Guest Lecturer and Workshops Taught
2018 Spoon Forging - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2016 Craft in America Summer Studio Workshops: Forging - Kutztown University - Kutztown,
Pennsylvania
2015 Craft in America Summer Studio Workshops: Forging - Kutztown University - Kutztown,
Pennsylvania
2014 Guest Lecturer - Women Who Work in Metal - Craft in America Center - Los Angeles,
California
Workshops Attended
2018 Steel Jewelry - Maia Leppo - Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft - Columbia, North Carolina
2013 En Plein Air Jewelry - Beverly Penn - Haystack Mountain School of Crafts - Deer Isle,
Maine
2011 The Metal Tea Infuser - Tom Muir - Haystack Mountain School of Crafts - Deer Isle,
Maine
Kinetic Jewelry - Sarah Doremus - Peters Valley Craft Center - Layton, New Jersey
2010 Forging Stainless and Damascus steel -Richard Furrer - New England School of Metal
Work - Auburn, Maine
2009 Enameling - Jamie Bennett - Workshop at Maine College of Art
Silversmithing and Industry - Joost During - Lecture at Maine College of Art
2008 Forging Non-ferrous Metals - David Clemons - Workshop at Maine College of Art
Institutional / Departmental Service
2019-20 Curriculum Development - I help to develop and revise curriculum in the Metals and Contemporary Art Jewelry department for both beginning and intermediate/advanced
studio classes.
Budget Management - I assist in developing, managing, and formatting the departmental budget for beginning and advanced courses that are taught in the Metals and Contemporary Art Jewelry area. I purchase tools and materials that are needed for studio maintenance, as well as current and future classes offered in the department.
Studio Maintenance & Safety Committee - I serve as the contact person for the Metals and Contemporary Art Jewelry area and report to the University Director of Safety and Risk Management Services to keep the studio up to date on safety issues and policies. I help to facilitate safety inspections and training as needed. I also supervise student employees charged with supporting safety-related tasks and procedures.
Metals BFA Advisor - I advise current BFA students in the Metals and Contemporary Art Jewelry department through weekly meetings to critique their work. I also help to review and edit items related to their professional development, including artist statements, resumes, job and grant applications.
Metals Committee Advisor - I serve as a faculty advisor to the University of Wisconsin Stout student-run Metals club. I attend club meetings and give feedback on ideas for events such as the development of production lines, makers days, and fundraising sales.
2018 MFA Open Studios Planning Committee - I helped to plan and promote the annual public MFA Open Studio Day through social media and print advertisements. Programming for the day included artist talks, art demonstrations, and a community mural project. I participated in the event proper by meeting with members of the public in my studio and talking about my work.
Lead Contact - Radical Jewelry Makeover: Wisconsin - I helped to organize the Radical Jewelry Makeover drop off sites in Madison and acted as a contact for other metals and jewelry students throughout the UW school system. I promoted the event through social media, print, and radio advertisements. I also secured interviews with media outlets including local radio stations and the Wisconsin State Journal to generate awareness for the project. I transported finished work for the exhibition to UW-Milwaukee’s Union Art Gallery.
2017-19 Mad Madison Metals President - As president of the metals area student club I was responsible for renewing the club’s registration status annually, writing grants to secure funds for travel to conferences and visiting artists, and organizing sales.
Grad Representative - I was responsible for attending faculty meetings, acting as a liaison between art graduate students and faculty members, as well as organizing and installing exhibitions including yearly review shows and a trade show with grad students from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Courses Taught
Art 315/415: Metals and Contemporary Art Jewelry II/III
This course is an advanced studio and will focus on the development of three- dimensional objects created through traditional silversmithing and pewtersmithing practices. A continuation of technical skills is coupled with emphasis on conceptual development and critical thinking. Students will explore techniques such as raising, chasing and repoussé, forging, hollow forming, mold making, and casting through working with non-ferrous metals including: silver, copper, and pewter. Students will be expected to focus on the development of technical skills, personal vision in the art making process, and develop a basic understanding of the historical/contemporary context of metal objects, tableware, and hollowware. Topics covered in classes will include technical demonstrations, lectures, slide presentations, studio work time, group discussion based on readings, and group critiques.
Art 215: Metals and Contemporary Art Jewelry I
The emphasis of this course will focus on translating ideas into art forms. A technical and conceptual understanding of metalsmithing and art jewelry techniques will be developed. Course projects will emphasize the development of three-dimensional design concepts and traditional metal working methods for the manipulation of nonferrous metals; including silver, copper, and their alloys. Students will be expected to focus on the development of technical skills, personal vision in the art making process, and develop a basic understanding of the historical/contemporary context of art jewelry. Topics covered in classes will include technical demonstrations, lectures, slide presentations, studio work time, group discussion based on readings, and group critiques.
Art 101: Two-Dimensional Design Foundations
This course provides an overview of the study of the principles and elements of two- dimensional design and their application to the foundations of visual expression. Students will obtain a basic understanding of the elements of visual expression; line, shape, value, space, texture, color and the underlying principles of visual perception, organization, and structure. Through a series of studio projects, students will develop problem-solving strategies that enable them to combine and manipulate these elements and principles in order to interpret and communicate the visual language. Concepts will be explored using traditional and digital tools and techniques. Emphasis will be placed on exploration and experimentation, development of problem solving and critical thinking skills, gaining a basic visual vocabulary, and expanding one’s understanding of and appreciation for the visual and applied arts.
Art 100: Introduction to Art
This course will function as both an art studio and lecture for non-art majors, exploring how artistic movements reflect various aspects of a cultural change and implementing multiple methods of making art. The focus of the course is on the development and application of critical thinking, observation, creativity, and methods of making while actively engaging with the artistic community of Madison. Through both theory and practice students will develop an understanding of the ways artists arrive at the ideas that inform their creative processes. The intellectual, cultural and physical components of the visual arts will be presented as an essential and interrelated whole. Art historical lectures serve as an overview of ancient through contemporary art practices including technological advances, and a consideration of geographic, thematic, and formal concerns.
Where to Buy
Work is not available for sale through the SNAG website. Please contact the artist directly to inquire about making a purchase.