Christopher Liu Awarded Prestigious MJSA Education Foundation Jewelry Scholarship from the Rhode Island Foundation.
On July 27th Chris Liu, a Texas Tech University School of Art jewelry design and metalsmithing senior at the from Allen, Texas, received the top MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America) Education Foundation Jewelry Scholarship administered by the Rhode Island Foundation during the awards banquet held in Rhode Island. The scholarship award ($5,000 in 2023-2024) is awarded to a U.S. student enrolled in a jewelry program based on assessments of the applicant's academics, career plans, recommendations, and industry experience. Read MJSA's press release here.
Chris was unable to attend the awards ceremony as he was at Camp Fernwood in Poland, Maine, where he has been a jewelry-metals teacher and camp counselor this summer. Fernwood is a seven-week sleep away camp in Maine for girls ages 7-15 who participate in land, water, and visual and performing arts and activities. Chris worked with the 13–15-year-old campers developing the fundamental techniques and design principles of silversmithing, and assisted in other activities ranging from woodworking to days trips and outings.
Clear articulation of his career plans helped him secure the scholarship. His current research objectives regarding conceptual development include combining attributes of sculpture, installation, and jewelry in order to obtain or create a sense of presence. Chris elaborates, “In my latest series of pieces such as Swoop I-V and the Levé Series, I emphasize the use of traditional craft and fabrication techniques such as stone setting, drawing wire, and forming spicula to lift elements off of the body.”
Chris is one of several students at School of Art to have come out of Allen High School's jewelry section headed up by TTU alumnus John Garrott (BFA 2002). All through high school, in addition to his high school academics, Chris was a competitive figure skater. After high school he stayed in the Dallas area by enrolling in Collin County College, and tapered off his figure skating activity and increased his jewelry studio practice. Then he transferred to Texas Tech.
His initial goal at Texas Tech was to fundamentally deconstruct his design process and reconfigure it so that he could express richer ideas beyond those evident in his portfolio, which at the time consisted of otherwise conventional jewelry and art objects. Now that he is entering his senior year, he reflects on his Texas Tech experience, “Getting to work with our incredible faculty and working closely with esteemed metalsmiths, Robly Glover and Nancy Slagle, has changed my approach to the way I design and how I see, process, and visualize the world around me.”
He continues, “As a part of our studio arts major, I've been exposed to other media and disciplines through studio arts classes. Being in an academic setting has launched me creatively and working with other brilliant artists has been an incredible experience.” Chris currently has plans to pursue an MFA in studio art to delve deeper into his interest in creating an equilibrium between sculpture and jewelry in the form of bodily adornment.
At School of Art Chris is a 2023-2024 recipient of a Mrs. Linda S. and Dr. John M. Filippone, Jr. – Medici Circle Art Endowed Scholarship. More significantly, Chris has been awarded the School of Art Excellence Scholarship for 2023-2024 by the Scholarship Committee. This is a competitive, merit-based award that recognizes an Art student's accomplishments beyond his or her specific area of specialization. It seeks to encourage students' efforts to excel in all the fields of study they consider while at the School of Art. It is awarded to a student whose academic record and portfolio of work demonstrates an exceptional work ethic and higher than common expectations, which are invaluable assets in professional life and for those thinking of pursuing graduate studies.