“It’s hard to explain how a few precious things seem to follow throughout all our lives.”

-Kenny Loggins, Return to Pooh Corner.

The work I make is inspired by everyday objects that my family utilized or held precious. My work features bold patterns and includes found materials such as vintage quilting fabrics, tin, stones and flatware. For me, it is important that I invoke the sense of nostalgia, whether through my own memories or that of others who experience my jewelry and art objects. In my experience, the act of remembering is multifaceted. Smells, tastes and touch hold immense sentimentality. The materials I use in combination with classic metalsmithing techniques allow me to creativity play and find the balance between simplicity and more elaborate designs.

Alison L. Bailey grew up in Janesville, Wisconsin. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art in Metals and Jewelry, and a BA in Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2012. Following undergraduate school, she attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina graduating in 2015 with a Master of Fine Art in Metal Design. Since 2016 Alison has been living in Madison, Wisconsin where she has a private studio.

Alison has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally since 2012 and has been included in several publications. She was a finalist in 2016 for the Lydon Emerging Artist Program (LEAP) where she was a featured artist in Contemporary Craft’s store in Pittsburgh, PA. She was also published in Narrative Jewelry: Tales from the Toolbox, by Mark Fenn in 2017. More recently in 2021, Alison was the January/February featured artist in the Essential Arts section of bimonthly local magazine Madison Essentials. Alison’s work can be found at Creative Metalsmiths in Chapel Hill, NC, and Abel Contemporary in Stoughton, WI along with her personal website: AlisonLBailey.com.