Meet the artist
Italian/American multidisciplinary artist Mara Colecchia is the creator of Maracole Bijoux, a line of hand-woven ornaments made with fine Japanese seed beads, semi precious stones, and repurposed vintage beads.
Combining a playful narrative with bead-weaving, Maracole is creating delightfully crafted ornaments, one of a kind or limited edition,made available for fashion styling, art galleries and museum exhibits.
Ethical fashion:
I am sensitive to environmental issues and I am determined to create eco-friendly art to wear.
Over the years I developed my unique way to apply embroidery to upcycling, by repurposing worn-out leather from used baseballs, silly straws from parties, and lucite beads from used vintage jewelry.
For this reason I place my line in the realm of sustainable design.
There will always be more materials to up-cycle, and I truly enjoy the challenge of finding new possibilities, as long as fresh ideas emerge when I manipulate a new object.
About the technique:
My research as a bead smith is centered on the exploration of one and one only bead weaving technique, called cubic right angle weave. This dimensional stitch is used to create sturdy sculptural meshes, based on the methodical repetition of a unit made of 12 seed beads.
I sculpt my designs one unit at the time, creating challenging combinations of empty vs full forms, that keep my work light and dynamic.
The challenge:
Working with minuscule seed beads forces a weaver to be methodical and attentive, as a small mistake on a large piece can turn into a serious complication. This technique is extremely time consuming, and necessitates the creation of a meditative state of mind.
When I begin a new project and start to deal with this peculiar quality of bead-weaving, I find that the practice is also the message. The values I stick with and uphold in my practice are those of labor through intense artisanal skill, the quality of the work, and the enduring nature of a piece of jewelry.
The Narrative:
Coming from a background as a character designer and a writer of children entertainment, my narrative is by definition witty. My vocabulary as an artist includes spheres of every size and material, but also glossy elements in pastel colors, such as marbled lucite, ceramic coating, and bright colors, that confer my pieces the look of toys.
Bio:
Born and raised in Urbino, an art town in mid-northern Italy, I have been exposed to an incredible amount of influential art, mostly from the Rainassance, and I had the chance to experiment with many and various artistic practices over decades.
In 1999 I earned a bachelor degree as a “Maestro D`Arte” from La Scuola Del libro, in Urbino, with a specialization in drawing animation.
In 2005 I earned a master degree in game design from the European Institute of Design in Rome (IED), to complement my education in animation and gaming.
I worked in the animation industry in Rome till 2008, when I took the chance to relocate to Los Angeles, California, to study screenwriting at the ”New York Film Academy”.
There l had many artistic pursuits, being an active member of The Los Angeles Art Association, till I’ve learned how to weave seed beads, during the Thomas Fire, as a way to distract myself from the fury of that natural calamity. As I took my first class in tubular Chenille stitch, something clicked and it was love at first sight.
In late 2019 Maracole Bijoux has become my main artistic endeavor; unexpectedly a global pandemic happened just a few months later, which caused my artistic exploration to take even more interesting routes.
Since 2022 I am teaching bead weaving at various craft schools in the United States, amongst which the Baltimore Jewelry Center in Baltimore, the Armory Center for the Arts in Boca Raton, FL, and Craft in America, in Los Angeles, CA.
Education:
Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, MA: Breana Ferrara , “Dimensional Beading”, 2020 - Dongyi WU “Explorative Practices for Jewelry”, 2021
Studio Aphorisma, Florence, Italy: Bauhaus and textile design , Fall 2020
Universus Studios. Athens, Greece: Louis Acosta, “Modular Design”, 2023
Collaboration with Art Galleries:
Loewe Gallery, Lewes, DE - Ombre’, Cincinnati, OH. - Hannah Gallery, Barcelona, Spain -Mydaybyday, Rome, Italy -Collectiva, Port, Portugal.
Awards:
Collectiva Meeting 2022 - 3rd Best in Show
Museums acquisitions:
Museum of Beadwork, Portland, Maine - Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, Athens, Greece
Catalogs:
Contemporania Barcelona 2023- Collectiva Meeting 2021 and 2022- Joya Barcelona 2021- Arte Y Joya 2020- Artistar Jewels 2019- Vonmo Studios 2021-2023 - Bijoux! 2023-2024
Press:
FiberArtNow, Oct 2024 - Ventana Magazine, editorial, March 2023 - BMore Art , March 2022 - Findings, January 2022 - L’Officiel, through Joya Barcelona, November 2021 - Zolota Magazine - cover,December 2021 - Malvie Magazine pictorial, September 2021 - Schmuck Mag: Flying Circus Project, March 2021
Art Residencies
Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, Athens, Greece, 2023 - E-residency Flying Circus, byBietersimperium, Munich, 2020 - Fish Factory, Storvafiord, Iceland, 2017
Trade shows, teaching and exhibits:
2024
NYCJW - Earrings Galore by H. Loewe Gallery @ 251 Elizabeth, NYC, November 18-24
Craft in America, 1 dayworkshopBeaded Ropes, Nov 16th.
Academy Musuem Annual Craft Show, Easton, ML, October 25-27
The Earrings Show,CCBC ( @British Columbia Craft Council) May/June - British Columbia, Canada
The Smithsonian Craft Show, May 1/5, Washington DC
Bijoux!, annual jewelry exhibit at the Boca Raton Musuem of art, Boca, FL - March 17/20
Sustainability in Jewelry Making, public speech at the Boca Raton Musuem of Art, in the occasion of “Bijoux!”, March 21st
Bead your Pod Ring with CRAW, 1 day workshop at the Armory Art Center in Palm Beach, FL - March 25Th
2023
NYCJW : “A history of Revolution”, collective exhibit at the General Greek Consulate in NYC, curated by Joanna Lalaounis for Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Musuem, opening Nov 13th.
“Storytelling”, collective art exhibit at Ombre’ Gallery, Cincinnati, November 18-Jan 20.
“This Jewel is 100RMB”, collective international juried exhibit curated by Vonmo Studios - Beijing, China, October-December
“Contemporania Barcelona”, annual art fair of jewelry and objects patronized by Artesania Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain - September 28-29-30
Residency at the IliasLalaounis Jewelry Museum In Athens, Greece - studio ZEDET.
“Bijoux!”trade show of contemporary jewelry design produced by the Boca Raton Museum of Art, March 21 - 25, Boca Raton, FL
Teacher of beading and jewelry making at the Santa Paula Museum Art, in Santa Paula, CA.
2022
Collectiva Meeting, international exhibit curated by Collectiva Joyaleria de Autor, Porto, Portugal - awarded 3rd best in show in the annual juried exhibit.
Purifying the soul, international exhibit curated by Vonmo Studios - Beijing, China, Oct 2022
Paradox, International Exhibit at the Hungarian Jewellery Week, Budapest, September 2022
Instructor at Baltimore Jewelry Center , April/May 2022 - online workshop “Make your Bangle in CRAW”
“Schmuck on Reel”, online exhibit of video art related to jewelry making. “Obsession” is playing at the site of Weltraum Gallery in Munich (March/April 2022).
2021
Artifactual Remakes, exhibit of contemporary art jewels inspired by historical jewelry from the Walters Museum collection - Baltimore Jewelry Center, Baltimore, MD.
Intimate Relationships - group show organized by Vonmo Studios in Beijing , China - September 2021
Joya Barcelona , international exhibit and award of art jewelry - fromSept 23rd to October 24th, Barcelona, Spain
Fiber Stories , online exhibit and sale of textile arts held by the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts
“The Earrings Show”,CCBC ( @British Columbia Craft Council) May/June - British Columbia, Canada
2020
Selected artist at E-residency Flying Circus, Bietersymperium, Feb/March - final exhibit at Weltraum Gallery, Munich, 7/14 March
FINALIST @ Arte Y Yoja 2020, 11th online juried contest and catalog of contemporary artistic jewelry design.
2019
SELECTED DESIGNER @Artistar Jewels 2019 - international exhibit of contemporary jewelry design in Milan, Palazzo Bovara - October 24 - 27