Pendant: Mr. President, How Long Must Women Wait for Liberty

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:24:00 +0000

Canadian artist Viki Ackland's handmade jewelry uses pop art, found art, and ransom-note style letters to create a visually appealing cut-and-paste aesthetic from 2-Mile Jewelry. Female pop icons such as Betty Boop, Marilyn Monroe, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer adorn her works (mostly necklaces), as do floral prints, pictures of seemingly random items such as pliers, and simple statements such as "Delectable," "Coffee," and "Heard of Me?" Among these declarations is a stylistically spartan piece adorned with Inez Milholland's famous battle cry of the women's suffrage movement: "Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?"

There is no question mark at the end of this ostensibly interrogative statement on Ackland's pendant, rendering Milholland's appeal to then-President Woodrow Wilson a declaration rather than an inquiry. The text is simple black block lettering on a gray background, and the skewed edges of the piece, when viewed closely, reveal it to be a photograph in miniature of a protest sign. The back of the pendant displays a silver heart over more pieced-together text, which appears to be from a newspaper article, but does not cohere into a decipherable statement; it is purely for visual appeal. The metal loop at the top of the pendant will allow for a relatively thick chain or other necklace on which to string the drop.

Most of the pieces on 2-Mile Jewelry are priced at $20 to $25 (Canadian dollars) and come with a choice of wire or leather chain with a default length of 15". Longer lengths may be chosen, if specified at checkout. 2-Mile Jewelry will ship outside of Canada, with special shipping rates applied.

Written by: Natalie Ballard, October 13th 2009