UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 2
September 12, 1996
Anne Graham, Proud Member of 'Chain Gang'

     Anne Graham, art, is a member of the Chain Gang, a group of
jewelry designers from across the country who were invited to
create nine-inch links for a Chain Gang exhibition, in connection
with the Society of North American Goldsmiths annual conference
in Washington, D.C.
     The resulting chain of 144 links is connected by plastic
rings, reaching a length of more than 100 feet.
     "One interesting facet of this exhibition was that each
artist had to design something within given parameters, and the
creativity and variety of designs was amazing. The exhibition was
a wonderful showcase of talent and innovation," Graham said.
     An article in the Washington Post describes the creators of
the links as art-jewelers, since they use jewelers' techniques.
Instead of precious metals and jewels, materials range from
everyday objects- such as soft drink cans-to leather, metals or
plastic.
     The Chain Gang also was featured in an article in the
August/September issue of American Craft magazine.
     For her link, Graham created an irregular, six-sided,
anodized aluminum piece that can be worn as a dramatic bracelet
or can stand alone as an abstract sculpture. Her technique
involved creating pores in the aluminum, introducing metallic and
colorful dyes that contrasted with the black background and then
sealing the surface. The result is a mosaic, or stained glass
window effect.
     The Chain Gang was first shown in the Target Gallery in
Alexandria, Va., and will be on tour for a year at sites in
Arizona, Wisconsin and Missouri.
                                              -Sue Swyers Moncure