Caroline Gore
In reference to American artist Caroline Gore, C. James Meyer, Professor Emeritus, School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, wrote: “There are very few artists who can make work that has a sound conceptual basis, a sensitive aesthetic and is appropriately made. Caroline Gore’s work succeeds on all of these levels.” Meyer was specifically addressing Gore’s monumental installation …mercurial silence…. Nonetheless, the same holds true for her jewelry. …mercurial silence…, which was displayed at galleries within Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo and Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids in 2014, investigates loss and how grief can manifest itself through personal objects whose transformation may contribute to the healing process. Her jewelry, which often incorporates black materials, such as oxidized silver, jet, leather, glass, and hematite, recalls Victorian mourning jewelry – along with antique formats like the chatelaine – albeit in a most contemporary guise.
Gore received a BFA, cum laude, from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA and MFA from East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, where she studied under Robert Ebendorf; she also attended Opere Jewellery School, Ravenstein, The Netherlands. Gore has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions and been included in countless group shows and jewelry publications. Her work is represented in the permanent collections of the Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX; Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NB; and Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.
