ABOUT ME
Jowita Allen began making jewelry and wearable objects as a teenager while growing up in the then still communist Poland. To stand out from the monochromatic crowd she experimented with knitting, crocheting, embroidery, sewing, beading, wire wrapping, and other crafts.
Through years of political and geographic changes in her life, she continued to develop her crafting skills. She settled in the USA in 2005, where she began her formal education at the jewelry department of the George Washington Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington DC, as well as The Art League of the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, and the Wytwórnia Antidotum Jewelry School in Warsaw, Poland during the summer.
Jowita earned her MA degree in Spanish Philology and Journalism from the University of Warsaw, and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Frankfurt, Germany. She currently lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband and dog.
The studio:
Jowita Allen has been living in the Washington DC area since 2005. In 2013 she moved to Chevy Chase MD, where she works from her home studio, producing short series or one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, as well as commissioned work.
The art & materials:
Allen’s desire to be different still reflects in her work. After years of concentrating on traditional metalsmithing techniques she decided to focus on alternative materials, such as rubber, wood, nylon, and especially recycled plastic. She collects plastic bottles and converts them into pieces of wearable art.
Inspiration and style:
Jowita Allen is fascinated by the diversity of ordinary materials that, thanks to conceptual development and the application of traditional metal smithing techniques, can be used to create new qualities and forms. Her designs combine bold forms and textures, mixing precious metals with alternative materials such as recycled plastics, foam, nylon, wood, resin or rubber.
Drawing inspiration from the unpredictability of contemporary urban life, and making references to organic forms, she creates modern jewelry that illustrates the aesthetic of sophisticated minimalism.
In her mind, jewelry should not be separate from nor ambivalent to the individual. It should reveal their personality, and manifest their presence and empowerment.
Awards & Honors:
Washington Guild of Goldsmiths Metalwork 2016 show award, Concourse Gallery at VisArts, Rockville, MD.
Featured at Kosciuszko Foundation YouTube series Artist in the Spotlight: https://youtu.be/MsvzXVZUzCs
Featured at New South Finds Magazine: https://newsouthfinds.com/jowita-allen/
Jowita’s jewelry is in private collections on four different continents.
Get social at:
Faceboook: jowitaallenjewelry
Instagram: @jowitaallenjewelry
Twitter: JowitaAllen@jowitaallenjewelry