Kristie Chijimatsu
medium: metalwork
Click on the image to see the full version.
![]() Beginning 2004 Metalwork |
![]() Bond 2004 Metalwork |
![]() Opposition 2004 Metalwork |
![]() Communication 2004 Jewelry |
![]() Support 2004 Metalwork |
![]() Family 2004 Metalwork |
![]() Absence 2004 Metalwork |
Contact information
Artist resides in: Madison, WI
Email Address: k.reiser@yahoo.com
Artist statement
Marriage is a union deeply rooted in cultural traditions and individual practices. Festivities and rituals involving family and friends mark this act of two people uniting as one. During this time, champagne toasts are often drunk to the new couple, wishing them happiness and prosperity. The champagne flute marks this moment and turns it into a tangible memory.
After the celebration, the couple continues with the natural process of developing a life together. There are certain constants that reoccur throughout this process such as: a beginning, bonding, opposition, communication, support, family and absence.
The champagne flute acts as the vehicle for these constants. It recalls the original celebratory moment while commenting on the reality of the marital relationship.
Biography
Kristie Reiser Chijimatsu is a native of Wisconsin. Chijimatsu attended the UW–Madison and received a BFA degree in 1998. She pursued advanced degrees at the UW, concentrating in Jewelry/Art Metals. She graduated with a MA degree in 2001 and a MFA degree in 2004.
Chijimatsu has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the Society of North American Goldsmiths Endowment Scholarship–Honorable Mention, UW Haystack Fellowship, Albert Murray Fine Arts Education Grant, Ron D. Anderson Scholarship, Vilas Graduate Fellowship and the Edith L. Gilbertson Scholarship.
Nationally exhibited, Chijimatsu's work has been seen at the Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; The Center for the Visual Arts, Denver, Colorado; Center for the Visual Arts, Denton, Texas; and Emerson and Rose Galleries, St. Louis, Missouri.
Chijimatsu teaches Jewelry/Art Metals classes at MATC and works full-time in her Madison studio.