We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Monica Cioppettini a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I find that working with costume jewelry as a medium makes all of my artwork extra meaningful. Jewelry is inherently a very personal item to its wearer, it is endowed with significant history whether it is a gift or passed down generationally, or won at a spring fair. Each piece of jewelry is embedded with a history, but then its discarded until I find it. I re-write the jewelry’s history by giving it a second life as artwork. I don’t wish to discount the history of each individual piece of jewelry, the parts of its bygone wearers that remain. I am shifting the individual object’s internal ontology to one of a whole by breaking, altering and accumulating the objects; therefore each piece is packed with not only the meaning I give it, but also the meaningfulness of its past lives.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Monica Cioppettini (b. 1994, United States) received a B.F.A. in fine art from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey in 2017, and an M.F.A. in painting in 2020 from The Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in New York and Georgia. Cioppettini is a multidisciplinary artist whose work centers around used jewelry and found objects, collected from local thrift shops and flea markets with an interest to give a second life to something that was once so personal and close to a stranger. Using accessories as examples of identity, each gold necklace or pearl earring has a story and sentiment attached to it. But then it was thrown away or cast aside, forgotten in piles of dirt and dust in thrift shops waiting to be found. Her work focuses on large-scale assemblages, sculptures and installations that redefine women’s accessories into fine art.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my opinion the best thing society can do to support creatives is to attend events, lectures, and art shows that are being held by creatives. Just showing up to these occasions means the world to all artists, and you may be surprised by what you learn or whom you meet. Of course not everyone has the means to buy/collect local artwork but that stops people from attending these events where the artwork is probably much more accessible than they assume.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of my practice stems from the reaction people have when they find something they relate to imbedded in my artwork. The accumulation of materials in my pieces creates almost an “I-Spy” situation where the viewer is constantly scanning the piece and having “ah-ha” moments when they find something that stands out to them. I find joy whenever someone points to a bracelet that is similar to his or hers, or a broach that reminds them of their grandmother, it’s almost like a part of them, or their loved one is alive in the artwork.

Contact Info:

• Website: monicacioppettini.com
• Instagram: monica.ciop.studio