4 minute read
Playing With Fire
Inspired by the natural world and intent on encouraging positive energy and mindfulness, Madison Kingery of Mad Made Metals creates beautiful works of wearable art.
by Jana Riley
The artist in her Redux studio space.
It’s open studios night at Redux Contemporary Art Center in Downtown Charleston, and the place is buzzing. People stream through the front doors and down the two main hallways containing dozens of art studios. In one studio, a small crowd gathers around a painting as the artist explains her vision. In another, a person sketches quietly as people walk through and look on, curiously. Uproarious laughter comes from the workspace of another artist as strangers become friends, and everywhere, people examine the artwork featured within the studios: pottery, photography, paintings, drawings, and more, often purchasing pieces to bring home. All around, creativity abounds, and in metalsmith Madison Kingery’s studio near the back of the building, it is clear the artist feels the energy of the space, transferring it into the jewelry she creates and inspiring everyone she meets. As people enter her Mad Made Metals workspace, it is nearly impossible to tell who is a longtime friend of Kingery’s and who she has just met; she greets everyone with the same level of warmth and positivity. Each guest who comes in chats with Kingery for a moment before being struck by the spread of incredible handmade jewelry she has displayed on a table, and before long, the number of items begins to dwindle as visitors purchase their favorite pieces for themselves or loved ones. For every sale Kingery makes, one thing is clear: this is a woman filled with gratitude not only for her customers, but for the sheer fact that making beautiful jewelry is her life. Judging by the amount of fans Mad Made Metals has in the Lowcountry, the feeling is entirely mutual.
All decked out in the most beautiful baubles.
Kingery's creations.
Madison Kingery didn’t always intend to pursue metalsmithing as a career. Growing up in Charlotte, Kingery’s first foray into jewelry making was in high school, when a neighbor recruited her help beading and wire wrapping for their jewelry business. Kingery enjoyed the work, but never imagined it could become a long-term career option. Through high school and into college, the art served as a hobby for Kingery, something she did on the side while working as a student full-time. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations at the University of Georgia, and went on to work at a science-based nonprofit in Washington, D.C., where she met the man who would later become her husband. They moved to Charleston, where Kingery worked toward a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Arts Management at the College of Charleston. While working on her degree, she attended a one-day jewelry class at Redux Contemporary Art Center on a whim, and rediscovered her love of making wearable art. Later, she applied for a Development Work Study at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, dreaming of the opportunity to hone her craft at the revered creative academy. As graduation approached at the College of Charleston, Kingery began to consider her next career move, trying to decide where to best apply her master’s degree. Then, she got the news: she was awarded a scholarship to work and study at Penland. She moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains and began an intensive in metalsmithing at the school while working in the Development Office, opting to figure out her next steps after completing the course. When all was said and done, it was an easy decision: she would give metalsmithing everything she had and try to find success back in the Lowcountry. Four years after she made the call, it is safe to say that Mad Made Metals is a successful venture for Madison Kingery.
Kingery’s aesthetic is clearly influenced by the natural world; the artist uses organic patterns and materials to create earthy, mystical pieces for men and women alike. Nearly everything she makes begins with an intention, especially the pieces featuring gemstones, which she allows to inspire her as to the direction of the piece. When choosing her gemstones, Kingery is thoughtful, making sure to select materials that are often meaningful or even sacred to her customers. At her workbench, she focuses her creative lens on highlighting the raw, natural elements of the materials with which she works, allowing the colors, textures, and tones to provide brilliance rather than being heavy-handed with polishing. Wielding hammer and torch and using traditional metalsmithing techniques, Kingery toils over each piece until she is satisfied. When she is ready to sell it, she photographs the piece, and shares the photographs with her customers via her website and social media pages. When they inevitably sell (often quite quickly), she packages and ships them out herself, thereby rocking every hat of small business ownership. Kingery also takes her work to markets around town, including the Thrifters + Drifters Market, which she co-founded in 2016, and her work is for sale at Albizia Apothecary in Charleston. This fall, Kingery is teaming up with another metalsmith, Kristen Mein of Kaypea Jewelry, to offer an Introduction to Metalsmithing class at Redux, allowing Kingery’s journey to come full-circle, as the once-student at a Redux jewelry class becomes the teacher. The pair plans to branch out into a series of metalsmithing courses once their first class graduates.
Though her workbench is situated in the back half of a small room in a building consisting of many studios, Madison Kingery could not look more comfortably at home than she does as she sits at it, torch in hand, working on her next piece. Surrounded by posters of gemstones, plants, books, and some serious metalsmithing tools, the artist is truly right where she is meant to be.
Follow Mad Made Metals on Instagram at @madmademetals, or visit the website at madmademetals.com
Working a piece to perfection.
A statement-worthy necklace.
