Bridgette Shepherd is Brisbane-based jeweller and object maker. She graduated from the Queensland College of Art in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Art, majoring in Jewellery and Small Objects and minoring in Art Theory. In the early years following graduation, Bridgette gained national and international recognition for her work. Notably, she was selected as a finalist in the 2014 National Contemporary Jewellery Award as well as exhibiting work in the 2nd International Biennale of Contemporary Metal Art – Metallophone: Personally in Vilnius, Lithuania and at KORU5, an international contemporary jewellery triennial in Finland. With the support of Arts QLD funding, Bridgette also undertook an internship with internationally renowned contemporary jewellery gallery and online forum, Klimt02, in Barcelona, Spain.
A physical awareness of the body is fundamental to one’s experience of self and space. The haptic perceptions, stimulated by the adornment of jewellery, can enhance a sensorial consciousness. Her artistic practice explores the creation of contemporary jewellery as physical interpretations of identity and surroundings through the sub-themes of presence and memory. The process of making contemporary adornment, from paper to metal, allows her to work through an understanding of the existence of “place” and connection to it.
Bridgette Shepherd, Brisbane, Australia.
Education
2010 – 2013 Bachelor of Fine Art, Majoring in Jewellery and Small Objects, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, QLD
2009 Introduction to Silversmithing, Brisbane Institute of Art, Windsor, QLD
Grants and Awards
2014 Individual Arts Fund Grant, from Arts Queensland to undertake Klimt02 Internship
2013 Outstanding Series of Work, J&SO Industry Night Award sponsored by A&E Metal
2011 – 2013 Griffith Award of Academic Excellence, for studies in Bachelor of Fine Art, QCA
Group Exhibitions (selected)
2020 Unleashed 2020: Emerging Craft and Design, Artisan, Brisbane, QLD – Juried Exhibition
2019 Glossy, Ombre Gallery at JCK Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – Juried and Touring Exhibition
2017 Collective Origins, Project Gallery, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, QLD
2015 KORU5 – International Contemporary Jewellery Triennial, Imatra Art Museum, Imatra, Finland – Juried and Touring Exhibition
2015 Graduate Metal XIV, JMGA Conference 2015 Exhibition, The Depot Gallery, Waterloo, NSW – Juried Exhibition
2014 2nd International Biennial of Contemporary Metal Art – METALLOphone: Personally, AV17 Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania – Juried Exhibition
2014 National Contemporary Jewellery Award 2014, Griffith Regional Art Gallery, Griffith, NSW – Juried and Touring Exhibition
2014 Spectacle: An Exhibition of Contemporary Jewellery, Contemporary Artisans Collective, Windsor, QLD
2013 The GAS: Graduate Art Show & The Survey Co. Art Prize, Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane, QLD – Juried Exhibition
2013 Limen: Fine Art Graduate Exhibition, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, QLD
2013 Now: the start of a conversation, Modern Handicraft and Art Department, Shandong, China
2013 Now: the start of a conversation, JMGA Conference 2013 Satellite Exhibition, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, QLD
Internships
2014 – 2015 Klimt02 Internship, Klimt02 – International Art Jewellery Online, Barcelona, Spain
Artists Talks and Lectures
2014 Balancing an Artistic Practice, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, QLD
Bibliography
2014 ‘QCA Alumnus Finalist in 2014 National Jewellery Award‘, Griffith News, Casey Stewart
Publications
2013 Graduate Metal 13 Catalogue, Catalogue Essays for Aleksandra Kalnins and Wendy Korol
bridgette shepherd 