Tara Locklear

Inspired by materials in industrial and social culture, Tara Locklear's jewelry creates an immediate focus for the viewer. Driven by her love affair with the color and graphic qualities these materials provide, exploring and forming them are at the heart of her practice. From sheet steel, cast cement to recycled skateboards, all of her material choices have inherent beauty and strength beyond their functioning identity. The jewelry's material makeup resonates a time, memory, and place which lends to how all her jewelry is approached. Tara's focus is to create finely crafted jewelry that empowers the wearer's individuality and to bring a refreshing point of view to contemporary jewelry. 

Her work is shown in galleries, the Smithsonian and American Craft Council Craft Shows and in public collections including the Racine Art Museum. Her curatorial projects include Monochrome Noir and Velvet da Vinci. She has taught several workshops and given lectures on her process around the United States including Pratt Design School NYC and Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh. She is a recent 2014 Society for Contemporary Craft Lydon Emerging Artist Finalist. 

Tara received her BFA from East Carolina University and has her full-time studio in Raleigh, NC.