SIUE URCA Program Associate Kylea Perkins Visits Segue
On this week’s episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD, interviews Kylea Perkins, a senior majoring in studio art.
This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 4. Listeners can tune in to WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie.
Perkins serves as an associate in SIUE’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) program, which encourages, supports and enables undergraduate students of all disciplines to participate in research and creative activities under faculty mentorship.
“Welcome to Segue, Kylea,” begins Leonard. “How did you become interested in studying art?”
“I grew up in Rolla, Missouri before moving to St. Louis for high school,” answers Perkins. “I participated in a few community programs that were craft-based, and that jump-started my love of all things crafts, specifically metalsmithing.”
“What drew you to metalworking?” inquires Leonard.
“I’m passionate about metalsmithing because metal is such a permanent object,” explains Perkins. “I like creating something that will outlast me. Sometimes I view my work as artifacts, and I enjoy working with my hands.”
Perkins previously participated in Craft Alliance’s Crafting-A-Future, a mentoring program designed to help high school students in the St. Louis area develop their skills as young artists. Now, Perkins gives back to the program by volunteering to mentor high school students in metalsmithing.
“Can you describe some of your work for us?” asks Leonard.
“Most of it is copper,” says Perkins. “I enjoy the material properties, color and things you can do with surface design. My earrings tend to be organic and earthy in terms of shapes and textures.
“My URCA project explores race as I describe the connections between history and contemporary. Much of my work is about the legacy of slavery and other discriminatory practices throughout United States history, which I’ve been learning about in my urban studies minor.”
“How would you describe your creative process?” inquires Leonard. “Where do your ideas come from?”
“I try to use my own experiences throughout my work,” explains Perkins. “I want people to feel things when they see my work, and that means I must tap into my own vulnerability and emotions to translate that into a physical object.”
Perkins describes her works to be self-portrait pieces. By placing her own thoughts into her art, Perkins shares how she processes her life in this world.
“Because your work is a reflection of your own experience, I can imagine how powerful it would be to see someone wearing a piece of your jewelry,” says Leonard.
“We do sales every semester, and sometimes I get the opportunity to see people I’ve never met wearing my jewelry around campus,” responds Perkins. “It makes my day, and it’s incredible to see that connection with others.”
Through her work in the URCA program, Perkins has crafted metal chains that explore the conceptual meanings behind chains and their significance in the Black community. Her pieces portray parallels between the uses of chains in slavery and hip hop as found in her research.
“How did you decide on the idea for your URCA project?” asks Leonard.
“A few projects ago, I created a heavy chain necklace made of copper and silver wire to broadly symbolize race relations in America,” explains Perkins. “I wanted to continue learning the technical processes of making chains while exploring the symbolic meaning behind them.
When my teacher suggested I apply for URCA, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to keep working on creating chains. I started looking into chains as they are related to slavery and the phenomenon of the beautiful chain necklaces seen in hip hop.”
During her research process, Perkins was intrigued by how the hip hop community has reclaimed chains as a positive symbol.
“The African American community is good at taking words and symbols and reclaiming them, taking ownership back, and making positive symbols of something new,” continues Perkins. “It’s fun to draw these connections and present them to others.”
Tune in at 9 a.m. Sunday, April 4 to WSIE 88.7 The Sound to hear the entire conversation.
