Kent State is no stranger to expanding the borders of the art world, as evidenced by its heavy dedication to promoting programs like fashion, music and digital design. 

The exhibition, “Tributary: Students and Kathleen Browne,” was organized by professor emeritus Kathleen Browne and features pieces from over 30 alumni of Kent State’s jewelry, metals and enameling department. It is free and on display at the KSU Downtown Gallery at 141 E. Main St.

Browne became a professor of jewelry, metals and enameling under the School of Art in 1992 and ran the program until retiring in 2015. The program typically comprised five to six graduate students and about 20 to 35 students with an undergraduate major. 

Browne wanted this exhibit to showcase not only her own work, but the professional successes of past graduates of the department.

“The director of the galleries, Anderson Turner, came to me with this idea because a lot of my students have done really well, actually, and quite a few of them have gone on to be professors and practicing artists,” Browne said. “In 2010, as part of the centenary for Kent State, we had an alumni show for metals, but it was chosen from all of the students that we’ve had over the many years before I even came. But this is kind of a follow-up to that, and I thought it was a great idea.”

The contributors to this exhibition range from professors to museum employees to full-time artists who show with galleries and present art at shows. Beyond the expected jewelry and metalwork, other contributions include sculpture, a drawing and a mixed media piece. The variety helpfully displays how artists’ focuses or preferences for creating can shift over the years without compromising their voice. 

Due to new regulations, ready-to-wear jewelry is no longer able to be sold at the gallery, so this exhibit is geared more towards one-of-a-kind, avant-garde pieces as opposed to traditional, wearable jewelry. 

One of Browne’s pieces, a long, metal necklace made of copper, sterling silver, vitreous enamel and silicone, takes inspiration from the murder of George Floyd. The individual embellishments on the chain represent different skin colors, and the piece is called “If Not Now, When?”

Browne said that her work has always had “a background of social observation and political observation,” and she is currently constructing a diversity, equity and inclusion centered piece in response to the recent attacks on DEI programming.

She recently had two pieces go into the collection of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. 

“There were two badge pieces that looked very much like military badges,” she said. “And they were protests to the Iraqi War and the prisoners in Guantanamo and also in Abu Ghraib. Part of my interest is reflecting upon the place we live and when we live it. And now sometimes those pieces seem very old when they get old because we’re not there anymore. They mean different things. Each group is a little bit different, but that’s sort of the driving force.”

Browne’s own exposure extends beyond Kent State as her artwork has been exhibited nationally and abroad as well as featured in numerous publications such as New Art Examiner, The New York Times, Dialogue and The San Francisco Chronicle, according to her website.  

Additionally, she has had work published in 13 books and she has written many reviews, articles and catalogue essays. Browne has also received five Artist Fellowship Grants from the Ohio Arts Council.

Browne wants attendees of the event to embrace the diversity in artistic style, expression and methodology and notice the wide variety of career opportunities that exist after students graduate from the School of Art.

“A lot of this work is in some ways more refined or advanced than the work that [students] are doing now,” Browne said. “And I hope that [attendees] can see the very many different avenues you can take with the work. I mean, some of the work is wall work and enameling, and some of it’s jewelry, some of it’s sculptural. You know, to really see very individual kinds of visions that people have developed over the years.”

“Tributary: Students and Kathleen Browne,” will remain available for public viewing from April 18-May 31 at the Downtown Gallery.

Olivia Weber is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].