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Vivienne Varay is a contemporary art jeweler whose work explores the emotional lives of materials and the ways in which adornment can shape identity, intimacy, and power. Her practice blends traditional metalsmithing with critical inquiry into material culture, often drawing from her personal history to create works that are both confessional and culturally resonant. The objects she creates investigate how jewelry operates as a carrier of memory, trauma, and transformation.
Rooted in the tactile traditions of craft, Vivienne Varay’s work maintains a deep respect for the physical labor and intimacy of metalsmithing and fiber processes, while embracing the evolving potential of digital methodologies. Her practice is increasingly shaped by an interest in extending the conceptual and formal possibilities of adornment through both research and making. This hybrid approach opens up not only new methods of fabrication but also new modes of storytelling and cultural engagement. Through this intersection, she investigates how interdisciplinary processes can preserve, reinterpret, or complicate the emotional and historical weight carried by wearable objects.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Hectare Galerie (Belgium), Armory Art Center (West Palm Beach), Hera Gallery (Rhode Island), TAG Gallery (Los Angeles), Tincal Lab (Portugal), and Gallery2052 (Chicago). She holds an MFA from the University of Georgia and a BFA from Arizona State University.
Vivienne Varay lives and works in Pullman, Washington, where she is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Digital Technology and Culture at Washington State University. In Fall 2025, she will transition into her new role as Assistant Professor.
She serves as Secretary for Artist Trust and Treasurer for the Seattle Metals Guild, and is an active member of Art Jewelry Forum, Klimt02, and the Precious Collective.