Exhibitions

Cheryl Eve Acosta

bio

Cheryl Eve Acosta’s sculptural jewelry and decor are inspired by the Cycle of Life, specifically marine biology. She is known for her unique copper-fused fabric and glass processes, transforming mundane materials into one-of-a-kind adornment.  Her handmade creations are both stand-alone and wearable art forms, capturing elements of birth, growth, to the fossilization of corals; a distinctive theme to her storyline. 

The French/Caribbean native holds an MFA in Jewelry & Metals from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from New Mexico State University. The two-time ArtsKC Inspiration Grant recipient has furthered her training in CAD/CAM design by obtaining a certificate from the Gemology Institute of America (GIA) in NYC. She also holds an Entrepreneurial Scholarship certificate from UMKC’s Regnier Institute.

Cheryl’s fine art has been featured in international, national, and regional exhibitions including a current exhibit at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Women to Watch/ Metals.  She was selected to represent the National Museum of Women in the Art’s Greater Kansas City Area Committee in D.C.  in the upcoming show Heavy Metal / Women to Watch 2018 and will be ArtsKC’s featured visual artist for their awards luncheon.  Previous shows include the Georgia Museum, SOFA Chicago, Wayne Art Center, Sarasota Art Center, Cheongju International Craft Biennale, and Le Arti Orafe, among others. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including 500 Earrings, Dreaming Jewelry and Art Jewelry Today 3, and her book Hidden in Nature. 

Cheryl Eve Acosta was commissioned to design a brooch for former Secretary of StateMadeleine Albright and has wall art collected by private organizations, including the Healing Arts at the Truman Medical Center.  She has participated in numerous fashions such as the West 18th St. Fashion Show, TMC’s Fashion for a Cause, Kansas City Fashion Week, and New York City Fashion Week. The Kansas City-based artist creates her custom designs in the city’s Crossroads Arts District while traveling both nationally and internationally with her creations. Cheryl was commissioned to create a 14-foot donor wall art installation for University Health, which she completed for the recent remodeled NICU.

Artist Statement

My sculptural art is inspired by the ocean’s Cycle of Life. This connection for coastal living is influenced by my French/ Caribbean background, shaping the story behind my creations. Growing up on an island made me wonder how life came about while making me aware of the ocean’s fragility.  I collected shells and corals that were left behind by changing tides.  These specimens found a home in the form of wearable sculptures, with my copper growing process over glass enamel and fabric.

I transform raw materials, such as copper, into three-dimensional, large objects that are structural yet lightweight. They can stand on their own or be worn on the body. In my designs, I combine artisanal techniques with modern technologies, such as electrical copper growth, in order to capture elements of birth, development, and fossilization of marine life. My materials reflect these bio-marine stages. The bright enamel colors represent birth, copper captures decay, and fabric-and-metal combinations suggest fossils.

The duality between a fragile, manmade material fused with nature’s raw copper elevates my curiosity in further discovering processes that reflect that dichotomy. My training as a metalsmith pushes me to explore the limits of two unlike materials co-existing in a new form. This medium allows me to voice awareness of the precious yet fragile life that exists in the sea.