BOM 2011 is alive with a new website

Check out the new website and new club!

www.broachofthemonth.com

BOM 2010 has Officially Launched

The 2009 Brooch club (this blog) has officially ended. 
But fear not, a collaboration of 12 brooches, 12 jewellers and 12 makers, has begun in conjunction with Masterworks gallery in Auckland, NZ.  Yep that is right, Broach of the Month Club 2010 is underway with its own blog.  The 2010 project is located here http://www.bommasterworks.wordpress.com/

Retrospective Show March 14 - May 8, Masterworks Gallery

Broach of the Month Club makes the press...

Who knew that speaking  at the first official Gisborne Pecha Kucha would lead Broach of the Month Club into the newspaper?  You’ll find PDFs of the full article here(pages 1 and 2).   

The Pecha Kucha was a really great evening with many great speakers.  The crowd really enjoyed the wearer comments on the brooches and it was very fun to share the project with a new audience.  Of course I had to wear ALLLLLL the brooches.


Work in underway for a Broach of the Month Club exhibition in the masterworks THINKspace, opening March 14th.  This will celebrate Broach of the Month Club version 2010 which is a collaboration with Masterworks Gallery.  Stay tuned for more information on that.

The End

The comments continue to trickle in, but the brooch wearing phase of the club has officially ended. There was a closing night dinner which was very fun. Stay tuned for photos.

The wearers seemed unwilling to give up one another's company so they have converted to a "____ of the month club" until an appropriate substitute has been found.

Thank you, happy wearing.


Broach of the month club, past reviews -
June,
May,
April,
March,
February,
January,
December,
November,
October,
September

Zarah Heathwaite

Photo by Rebekah Robinson

latest comments Nicola- 7 October 2009

Fun Fun Fun! No Daddys, no Bluebirds.

But this brooch is definitely worth a good go. It's interchangeable conditions are much like life. Nothing is static. Change stirs our hearts and minds and challenges us. We need it and it keeps us alive and real.

The best thing about this brooch though is that if you look closely on one of the 'accessories', Zarah has crocheted part of one with a magnificent electric blue plastiki (Google Plastiki the environmental boat sailing around the world...) thread.
Just gorgeous! And of course the hyper-yellow colour was the winner of the day.

Raewyn Walsh

photograph by Rebekah Robinson
See more of Raewyn's work here


Nicola William's drawing of the kowhai -

Latest comment: Finn 22 August 2009

The Kowhai was beautifully made with a good finding on the back, but it needed to be worn on quite a thick garment, otherwise it would hang down on an angle towards the floor. I thought the effect of the light through the resin from the silver made it float, and made spectators enquire about what it was? I particularly liked the detail that only the wearer would see, as they put it on.

I was a little scared wearing this brooch, I kept on thinking that I would crack the pod- as it was only joined in two places.

Sharon Fitness

photograph by Rebekah Robinson
See more of Sharon's work here

Latest comments Kyla - 3 October 2009
I wasn't particularly excited by this brooch at first. Too synthetic looking, too purple. But it just grew and grew on me... by the end of the month it was one of my favourite brooches! (second only to Zarah's crochet blobs).

I loved how you could move and rotate the different pieces... I spent ages rotating the little sections to just the right angles. Interactive = always good.

The fact that it was made of unbreakable silicone ended up making it even more lovable. Actually I've always been drawn to the softer brooches, they often just feel more comfortable and somehow right to wear on clothing.

And it just always seemed to look good. Without fail. Even the purple. I wore it nearly every day towards the end and was very sad to see it go.

thanks!
kyla

And a lovely journal entry by AJay

Tracy Michelle Coustas

photograph by Rebekah Robinson
see more of Tracy's work here

Latest comments Kyla 3 October 2009

I only had this brooch for a week and had a dramatic love hate relationship with it. It either looked fantastic or just ridiculous. I found it had such a presence that you either wore all black and just let it do it's thing, or tried to make it work with an existing outfit and suffer the consequences. I loved the bright boldness and smooth coolness, and was terrified of both the boldness as well as the fragility of it. I knew it could pop off and smash at any time. In the end I was just pleased to be able to pass it on without having broken it!

And a fun drawing from Ajay's journal

Rachel Bell

photograph by Rebekah Robinson

Latest comment Kyla - 3 October 2009
I was drawn to this brooch from day 1. I loved the crafty homemade feel of it, the softness and simplicity. I was really looking forward to my turn with it. But when it came, I just couldn't find the right thing to wear it with. No matter how hard I tried. I also found I got bored with it in a way... there didn't seem to be any layers to it. It seems I loved it and yearned for it from afar... but once I had it I expected more from it and didn't get it.

Fun journal drawings by Ajay...

Jacqui Chan

photograph by Rebekah Robinson
See more of Jacqui's work here

Latest comment Kyla October 12009

I found Jacqui's brooch was definitely one of the most universally appreciated of all the brooches. People found it beautiful, intriguing, and very cool. One stranger was so taken with it she just couldn't believe someone was so clever to come up with the idea and how beautiful it looked when it was just a piece of tin with holes in it. That day was definitely a brooch wearing highlight! I actually found it surprisingly difficult to wear, but could never figure out why. To do this day it remains a mystery. But no matter how it never seemed to feel quite right, it was always worth it to be able to look down, turn it this way and that, watch the light move across it, feel the texture of the cut tin and curved edges, and find another little detail in the picture that I hadn't noticed before...

And this cool drawing by AJ... in her 'brooch journal'

Anne Baynham

photograph by Rebekah Robinson

Latest comments: AJ - 10 September 2009
Well, after 10 months of brooching having not really been a wearer of brooches beforehand, I'm still not in the habit of thinking of accessorising in this way. I've found that either I don't think of adding a brooch to an ensemble, or the brooch I'm currently in possession of just doesn't go!Today I dressed around wearing the golf ball, knowing I'm off to swap tonight. So I have on jeans with boots, and a green top which shows from under a black with white trim (well actually it's inside out) wetsuitish weird material top. Which often gets kinda strange comments anyway so it's interesting to see which of the two trumps.
So far walking down Ponsnobby Rd the little boy of a friend said "excuse me...? why are you wearing that there?" I told them about the Brooch of the Month Club very proudly :) He thought I should wear it on my leg. I can see an argument for placement on my belly button actually.
I really like the construction of this brooch, it's very conceptually strong.

Sandra Khang

photograph by Rebekah Robinson

latest comment by AJ September 8 2009

This brooch was like a paperweight that I hung from a dangly bit on my dress because the clasp was broken. Who says a clasp makes a brooch wearable?

Lillian Berado Grondine

photograph by Rebekah Robinson

Latest comments Finn- 22 August 2009

This brooch was the first brooch I received. I opened the box and was confronted with, what I thought to be birds bones. These were infact a whole lot of plastic ‘Amore’ rings linked together as a chain. The finding was a bit peculiar it looked very surgical-bone-replacement. There was no clasp, you just threaded it through the weave in your jumper and gravity held it in place.
What I liked about this brooch the most, was that when you walked the spray of rings crashed against your chest making a soft chhh, chhh, chhh noise as you walked. You could feel them pull as they swung around with your movenment. People thought they were orchids, and would reach up and gently touch the bunch of rings like you would a spray of flowers.
I wish that the rings were chained together in a way that you couldn’t tell how they were put together. I loved wearing it.

Paula Thornburrow

photograph by Rebekah Robinson

Latest comments Finn - 22 August 2009

My first job required me to wear a name tag, about this size but made of plastic.
When I would put Paula’s brooch on, I was very aware of the architecture of my clothing, and the relationship between v-necks and collars.
And I kept having flash backs to having to wear a name badge. It took me quite a few pinnings to get it right. I found it similar to hanging a painting, you just have to keep trying till it is right. The silver lovers were very much into this brooch, commenting on how much they liked it and ‘I would wear that’ (in comparison to some of the other brooch club brooches. Ha!) The finding was excellent, and I never worried about losing it on a seatbelt etc. So once I pinned it on, I was quite casual about wearing it

Gillian Cambell Deery

photograph by Rebekah Robinson

Latest comments Ajay- 3 August 2009

Gillian's metal brooch was:
kinda sharp
possibly masculine, definitely architectural
quite heavy, so clothes had to be chosen carefully
suited being worn centrally
reminded me of volcanoes and the auckland landscape
seems valuable
is my second favourite, aesthetically

I like it as an object.

Kristin D'Agostino

photograph by Mike Corbett

See more of Kristin's work here

Here is the new look

Latest comment: Pene Walsh - 3 June 2009

I eat my peas with honey

I've done it all my life

It makes my peas taste funny

But it keeps them on my knife

We wearers seem to refer to this brooch as 'the peas' but not one person made reference to said vegetable whilst I wore the brooch, and I wore it quite frequently because it was so just so easy to wear.
A statement I made in a previous post saying I might not wear it for a few days after the 'my mum would like that' comment from a young woman was obviously because if it is the sort of thing 'my mum' would like then I don't want a bar of it. I got over it, but it resonated I suspect, because the colour of the brooch is what I associate middle-aged women in education wear to be zany and somehow relate to their students. Despite green (and purple) being my favourite colours this is not the 'right' green, but y'know it worked. Tragically, this may be because I'm now in the middle aged woman - not quite in education - department, and a mum. Doomed to wear cheerful green and probably that other dangerously zany colour the middle aged woman fancies - burnt orange!
Anyway the brooch did work. No matter where it was placed it fitted, the colour contrasted well with all outfits, it wasn't too big or too small, it was quite 'girly' at times, it was 'structural' at other times. It generally seemed to morph into being spot-on for each outfit (when I say outfit, i just mean regular clothes)
The 'peas' are wooden different sized beads, painted green, set on rods with a bit of glue here and there holding them in place (I didn't like the glue as it felt like the brooch's quality was diminished) There is a long pin on the back that appears to be commercially made.
This brooch looked much better when worn rather than sitting in the box. It seems to come to life when it is attached to a body becoming like a little pet thingie-bob which I found interesting because the other brooches definitely feel like one is wearing a brooch not a possible life form.

*note: pin is indeed hand made not commercially sourced.

A bit about the wearers

Introducing the Wearers.

Finn Ferrier - Maker/Collector
Nicola Williams - Urban Designer
Bonyta Watson - Audiologist
AJ Morris - Architect/Entrepreneur
Heidi Hughes - Festival Planner, Jambalaya coordinator
Kyla Bendall - Animator/3D Artist
Kathy Waghorn - Professor of Architecture, Auckland University
Mandie Taylor - Queen of Tarts Café Owner
Pene Walsh - Head Librarian Gisbourne Library

**Being new zealanders 3 of the original 12 are now overseas and have been replaced by someone who has been observing the project when possible (ie co-workers).***

Rowena Baines - Photographer - overseas replaced by...
Sarah Glen – Planner Waitakere City Council
Kate Talyor - Sustainability Project Manager - overseas replaced by...
Sarah - Sustainable Business Council
Janie S- Professor of Pharmacy, Auckland University - overseas replaced by...
Pauline Bern - Professor on sabbatical, Unitec

Upcoming events in Jewelleryland

Thanks to Sharon for this impressive list.

Lisa Walker and Damien Skinner talk at AUT campus, room WE320 on St Paul Street at 6.15 pm on Thurs 04 September.

Lisa Walker exhibition opening at Objectspace Ponsonby which i think is going to be on Friday 05 September, 6pm ish (with Sharon's blobs in the window space gallery - yay)

'Weeds Invites' exhibition at Masterworks Ponsonby on 17 September from 5.30-7 ish including the usual Weeds: Lisa Walker, Andre Daly, Shelley Norton and Super Fran plus their invited guests David Bielander, RoseAnne Bartley, Renee Bevan and Sharon(double yay!). The exhibition is being held in the Masterworks Garden in plinths that have been made out of white plastic chairs (fabulous!)

Oh, and Mary Curtis opening at Masterworks tomorrow (Wednesday the 20th) at 5.

The list of jewellers is confirmed

Anne Baynham -MSVA
Rachel Bell - Unitec Grad
Jacqui Chan - Grad
Tracy Michelle Coustas - MSVA
Gillian Cambell Deery - Unitec
Kristin D'Agostino - Unitec
Sharon Fitness - MSVA Grad
Zarah Heathwaite - Unitec
Sandra Khang - MSVA
Raewyn Walsh - Unitec
Sandra Kang - MSVA
Paula Thornburrow - MSVA

*waiting for confirmation