Alison Jefferies, "Impurity"

Materials: sterling silver, peach moonstone, peridot, cubic zirconia, embroidery floss

Artist statement: I am a jewelry artisan with a production studio in Historic Savage Mill in Howard County, MD. I'm inspired by botanical forms, which feature prominently in my work from cast natural objects and wax carvings/sculptures to more interpreted elements expressed through fabricated and wire-wrapped pieces. Much of my work features colorful gemstones, which I incorporate via casting, traditional stone setting, and beadwork. Another primary source of inspiration is the tradition of family heirlooms, which reflect and shape what we value most and have the power to shape the future.  In that spirit, I seek to create delicate pieces with the intention of comfortable wear and longevity for people of all walks of life.

About this project and my piece:

I’m honored to contribute to this meaningful project and to share my own story through my work. I was raised and educated within the context of evangelical christianity, the major force behind the pro-life movement in America. I’ve deconverted as an adult, but I have memories of being taken to the March for Life in Washington D.C. as a preteen with my entire class to protest a legal right that I barely understood. I received more lessons than I can count about abstinence, modesty, gender roles, and why abortion is wrong – all under the umbrella of “sex education” – at school, church camps, and youth group. Women especially were taught that our bodies did not belong to ourselves; they belonged to god first and eventually to our future husbands with no alternative life paths presented. For me, the fight to (re)gain our right to choose is not only about reproductive autonomy but about personal autonomy itself.

My piece focuses on the idea of taboo and what is considered pure vs. impure when it comes to women’s bodies, engaging what is simultaneously being taken from our control and labeled as shameful. The amphora bottle traditionally conceals an abortifacient or poison in plain sight; mine confronts the viewer with the parts of the female body our society looks away from but which are inextricably linked with our reproductive choices. The vulva and our reproductive organs are a source of pleasure, pain, and human life. The red and pink threads evoke the erotic and gory realities of our female bodies. I chose organic forms to honor the lives we create and nurture, including but never limited to procreation, and the herbal methods we have always found to subvert the laws of men that seek to imprison us in our own bodies.