Everybody's Bolos Traveling Exhibition at Fuller Craft Museum

WHERE: Fuller Craft Museum
455 Oak St, Brockton MA 02301

EXHIBITION DATES: January 25 - June 8, 2025

Everybody’s Bolos features the work of thirty contemporary artists who brought their unique voices to bear on the bolo tie, a type of neckwear traditionally constructed with a cord or braided leather string. The exhibition examines the cultural history and significance of the bolo tie in marginalized communities as well as its expressive potential and relevance as a gender-neutral form of personal adornment. Everybody’s Bolos encourages visitors to acknowledge, explore, and challenge cultural stereotypes, fostering a broader understanding through the inclusivity and creativity of craft. In addition, Everybody’s Bolos cultivates new audiences for contemporary makers who innovate in the realm of the bolo tie.

Everybody’s Bolos was co-organized and co-curated by Ana M. Lopez, professor of Studio Art: Metalsmithing and Jewelry at the University of North Texas; Brian Fleetwood, assistant professor of studio art at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM and citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma; and Hannah Toussaint, metalsmith and craft artist and current MFA candidate at the University of Georgia.

This exhibition was supported by the Gretchen Keyworth Exhibition Fund.

Photos by Dasha Wright

Participating Artists:

Julie Barello
Sulo Bee @sparkle_filth
Raquel Bessudo @raquelbessudo_jewelryartist
Kate Cusack @instakatecusack
Motoko Furuhashi @motokofuruhashi
Fabiana Gadano @fabiana_gadano
Renee Holliday @reneehollidayjewelry
Lorena Lazard @lorenalazard
Andy Lowrie @starbreakr
Rosa Murillo @murojewelry
emiko oye @emikooreware
Nanette Pengelley @hewjewelry
Louise Perrone @louise.perrone
Vania Ruiz @casakiro
Liz Steiner @lrsteiner7
Anna Talbot @annatalbotjewellery
James Thurman @jamesathurman
Jessica Tolbert @jessietolb
Marlene True @marelenetrue
Dongyi Wu @dongyi.w

Jean Genie 50 on Ornament Magazine's 50th Anniversary cover

What a thrill to have my Jean Genie 50 Bolo Tie pictured on the cover of Ornament Magazine’s 50th Anniversary edition, Vol 44 No. 4. Extra bonus that I’m also celebrating my 50th year, 1974 was a winner!

The cover’s feature article, Everybody’s Bolos: Quintessentially Western, by Ashley Callahan gives a great overview of the exhibition, which my Bowie Bolo tie is in - Everybody’s Bolos: Inclusion Through Craft Exhibition, co-curated by Ana M. Lopez (professor of Studio Art: Metalsmithing and Jewelry, University North Texas), Brian Fleetwood (assistant professor of Studio Art at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM) and Hannah Reynoso Toussaint (M.F.A. candidate at the University of Georgia). She touches on the history of the Bolo Tie, and delves deeper into a selection of pieces by both contemporary art jewelers and Native American artists.

This stunning photo was taken by Dasha Wright, who also shot all the images for the exhibition’s catalog.