A single lost earring doesn’t usually feel like much. It’s the leftover piece. The one that doesn’t match anymore. The one that ends up sitting in your jewelry box or the back of a drawer. Or if you’re like me, in a bucket in your craft room waiting for something to call to it.
At the Kamloops Courthouse Gallery, those pieces are getting another shot.
The Lost Earring Project is back this spring, bringing together local artists and the wider community to not only raise funds for the Women’s Shelter, but to promote both local artists and the community. The project has a simple concept – ask people to donate jewelry they no longer want, and then hand it over to artists to turn those castaway pieces into something magnificent. And then sell those for charity.
“We put out the call in February,” says Kamloops Courthouse Gallery Artist Co-op president Jan Scruggs. “And we had tons and tons of jewelry come in.”
What came through the door wasn’t just costume pieces or broken chains. There were higher-end items mixed in, too. Some of those have already been taken to a jeweller and converted into cash for the Kamloops Women’s Shelter. Others will be featured in an auction at the opening reception, with all proceeds going directly to the shelter.
For the rest of the pieces, the next step was calling on local artists to turn the discarded pieces int works of art. Around forty-five artists signed on, each coming in to choose pieces that caught their eye. There were no rules about what to make, just a pile of random jewelry pieces, full of history, and the creative minds of those who chose them.
“It’s very interesting to see what people are doing,” Scruggs says. The range is wide. Scruggs described how some artists have worked jewelry into paintings, using it to build texture or pull light across the surface. Others are using it more structurally. There’s folk art, architectural landscapes, and mixed media pieces that sit somewhere in between.
Half of the proceeds from every sale at the Lost Earring show go to the Kamloops Women’s Shelter. The other half goes to the artists, though Scruggs says many have already chosen to donate their full share. It’s a lovely circle. The community donates the materials. Artists donate their time and skills. The finished work goes back out into the community, and the money circles toward people who need it. Everybody wins.
The Courthouse Gallery Artist Co-op, which organized the event, is a small group, usually around 11 artists, with new members joining through an application and interview process. Projects like this are part of how they stay connected, not just to each other, but to the broader creative community in Kamloops.
“It’s a way to bring people together,” Scruggs says. “Artists and the community.”
The opening is free to the public, and everyone is welcome. It is hoped to be a busy day. There are other exhibits launching in the building on the same weekend, giving loads to browse. The reception will include refreshments, with the Women’s Shelter contributing some goodies.
The Lost Earring Project first ran close to a decade ago, with great success. Some of the artists involved were part of the original project and have lent great wisdom and history to this event.
Others are new to it, bringing their own flair. Different styles, different ideas, same great goal. Showcasing the value in the smallest of pieces. It’s not just great art, but a fantastic metaphor for the world around us.
The exhibition opens on May 2 with a reception from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Old Courthouse Gallery. From there, the show runs through to the end of May. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Check it out! And maybe bring home a Lost Earring of your own.