We were lucky to catch up with Carmen Perez – Stoppert recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carmen, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

Ever since I was a little girl, I cherished drawing and painting. Our home featured a barn poster on the wall—the only art in our house and I eagerly recreated it to evaluate my artistic skills. The notion that creativity might be woven into our family genes resonates with me.

The artistic legacy of my family has profoundly influenced my creative journey. My grandfather’s craftsmanship and my mother’s tireless creativity, particularly in her church work. My mom’s loved for story telling led her to create charming theater props, using toys and animals, captivating children during Bible story time shaped my artistic journey. I simply followed their path, guided by passion, heritage, and my own artistic narrative.

SNAG Metal Smiths in collaboration with Queer METAL SMITHS



Queer Metalsmiths has partnered with SNAG (Society of North American Goldsmiths) for the 2024 In Focus exhibition, which was showcased digitally during the SNAG x San Diego conference and virtually both on the SNAG website and here on our website.

This collaborative initiative aims to spotlight BIPOC and/or 2SLGBTQIA+ artists from marginalized communities who represent the future of the metalsmithing and jewelry field, with submissions from artists working in all materials, aesthetics, levels of experience, and backgrounds.

The SNAG conference programming revolves around the themes of connection, community, and collaboration. It seeks to highlight work that unites, transcends boundaries, cooperates, and builds bridges across various dimensions.

As part of this initiative, there was a breakout session during the conference that provided a safe space for attendees to connect, discuss, and learn about the diversity within SNAG.

"Girlfriends" Juried by Mary Stoppert and Carmen M. Perez-Stoppert

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, May 25, 2024, 4–7 PM CST

Woman Made Gallery • 1332 S. Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60607
312-738-0400 | general@womanmade.org

Current Gallery Hours: Thursday; Friday; Saturday; Sunday 12-5 PM CST
Face masks Optional | Contact Us

DESCRIPTION

CHICAGO––Woman Made Gallery (WMG) is proud to present Girlfriends, a group exhibition with work by 41 artists. Juried by Mary Stoppert and Carmen M. Perez-Stoppert, this exhibition explores the “girlfriend” theme in whatever manner is chosen by the artists. Simultaneously, WMG is hosting “18”, an Exhibition for Our Times by Chicago artist, Mary King. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 25, from 4 to 7 p.m. at 1332 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60607.

Jurors’ Statement: As girls, teens, and then women, we hope to have experienced at least one significant female girlfriend if not several over the years. These could be or have been with a family member, sister, mother, cousin, classmates, neighbors, roommates, or colleagues at work. There are obvious generational differences for women over time as cinema, television, the internet and social media each gives us access to more relevant stories about ourselves. The recurrent themes, irrespective of the era in most of our individual narratives are, love, loyalty, confidant, protector, co-conspirator, and of course, drama.

Sharing life’s adventures, the good, bad and ugly are made more tolerable and survivable with a “bestie” with whom to share them. The “drama” sometimes ensues if or when the narratives of life intervene. Complicating some friendships: secrets, jealousy, betrayal are also recurrent themes in our beloved stories about girlfriends. It makes no difference if or when one’s sexual preferences or gender curiosity is added to the mix. The following article is a helpful read as a look at history: https://www.businessinsider.com/iconic-female-friends-throughout-history-2019-3

Exhibiting Artists: Sunny Alonzo, Bekah Baker, Liz Barick Fall, Amy Beattie, Anne Bernard-Pattis, Laicee Blackwell, Susan Byrnes (in collaboration with Claudette Stern, and D’Jean Jawrunner), Marie Cameron, Jeanne Ciravolo, Kelley Clink (and Amanda Mulcahy), Annika Connor, Parmalee Paula Cover, Stacey Creem, Jasmine Elizabeth, Liliana Figueroa-Larios, Katie Fountain, Anne Farley Faines, Gabriella Gentile, Ghia Haddad, Chloe Harthan, Laura Hawbaker, Natalie Jackson, Olivia Jobbe, Ruth A. Keitz, Beth Lakamp, Susan Leith, Hannah Lyons, Laura O’Connor, Tracy Ostmann-Haschke, POCHIS, Bell Luna Powers, Ann C. Quinn, Geneviever Ramos, Sarah Rocheleau, Pranavi Rohit, Cynthia Staples, Rachel Trusty, Colleen Walsh, Muchen Wang, Nora Wiley-Schwartz

About the Jurors: Mary Stoppert & Carmen M. Perez Stoppert

Carmen M. Perez-Stoppert is an artist and has served as an Adult Educator for Chicago City Colleges. She received her BA in Art from Northeastern Illinois University and has exhibited her jewelry, sculpture, and drawings in galleries, art and craft fairs, and expositions in the U.S. and Canada. https://carmenmperez.com/home.html

After earning her MFA in Sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mary Stoppert was a Professor of Art at Northeastern Illinois University for 30 years, chairing the art department for two years and serving as gallery director for fifteen years. Stoppert’s exhibition history includes The New Museum of Contemporary Art, in New York, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, in Chicago. https://marystoppert.com/home.html

ART REFRAMED

Presented by SaatchiArt.com, the world’s leading online art gallery, we’re a global gathering of creative thinkers, game changers and pleasure seekers sharing emerging talent and unforgettable experiences. Set against the backdrop of the world’s biggest cities, each of our fairs is different. We combine boundary-pushing yet always affordable works with immersive installations, performances and the odd tattoo or taxidermy class thrown in for good measure.

Art isn’t confined to convention or rule, and how you enjoy it shouldn’t be either.

A place where art feels accessible, where everyone fits in, where the experience exists outside of four white walls and the same four artists?

That’s not normal. That’s The Other Art Fair.

Connect with me through my Instagram account to see some of my ongoing and current work.

I would like for you to visit my Facebook page and follow me.

I show my process and my work on TikTok so people can see I am the artist making my jewelry. It's all handmade by me from beginning to the end.

This is my Pinterest Page and I try to show the variety of work I create

Artist Members of Woman Made Gallery
https://womanmade.org/artwork/carmen-perez-stoppert/
Please support Woman Made Gallery. A Non-profit organization

Founded in 1889, The Woman’s Club of Evanston (WCE) is a nonprofit organization of nearly 300 women from the North Shore and beyond who are dedicated to community service, philanthropic work, and friendship. Annually, more than $125,000 and 15,000 volunteer hours are donated to help local not-for-profit organizations.

Wonderful Sculptor in the collection or MCA Museum of Contemporary Art and Art Institute of Chicago.

20 years celebration.
Woman Made Gallery.
I am one of the feature artist. Stop by to view the video

I volunteer and teach a free jewelry workshop to adults and teens at Budlong Woods Library 5630 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago. My beginning jewelry class starts every year on the month of February. 1:00 to 2:00. Please call 1 312 742- 9590 to be place on the list. Group of 10.

TheArtistList.com February Artist of the Month Contest Honorable Mention- Carmen Perez- Stoppert "Spirit". TheArtistlist.com holds a new contest every month! Link in Bio! 2024