Seasons Greetings.

Fourteen months of sketches and production research resulted in this sleek, sculptural aluminum pendant commemorating Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. The process began in 2017 when Lucinda Bunnen, my friend and patron of the arts, encouraged me to approach the High to advocate for better representation of local artists in their Gift Shop. What evolved was a commission to design a specific piece of jewelry celebrating the High, with plans to present it at the 2018 reopening of the museum’s newly redesigned permanent collection galleries.

I initiated the design process with photos of a ceiling feature from the High Museum’s Stent Family Wing Atrium designed by architect Richard Meier. Striving for the most precisely pleasing curvature, I employed CAD (Computer Aided Design) and 3D printing technology to develop the final form. Many attempts were made to achieve crisp edges, a convex back, and a finish that would be stable, consistent, and comfortable to touch and wear. When I was satisfied with the aluminum prototype, it was presented to the Director of the High, Rand Suffolk, the Board of Directors, and Sylvia Roberts, Gift Shop manager, for final approval.

At the High Museum of Art Gala that opened the new renovation in October 2018, Monica Pearson, former Anchorwoman at NBC and the Master of Ceremony, wore the necklace, told its story, and introduced me to the attendees. I was both humbled and proud to receive this recognition.

As artists, our life experiences train our eye and inform our work. Creating this pendant was no exception. At 13, my mother took me to the groundbreaking ceremony for the High Museum of Art and I dug up red clay with a shovel where the museum now stands. My roots as an artist in Atlanta go deep. During my 20’s, I lived and produced jewelry in SE Alaska, often flying in a small plane over the expansive landscape, struck by its glacially carved features. Now, in my late 60’s, Meier’s architectural forms fuse with my aesthetic biography to create this contemporary talisman.

These pendants are available for purchase exclusively through the High Museum of Art Gift Shop, on my website, and in my showroom. These would make a great Holiday and year-round gift for any art lover. Free gift wrapping & shipping for purchases made through our website until December 17.

Lainey Papageorge
December 14, 2018