O n ce sh e h ad a b o d y o f w o r k , S ek im ach i
in v ite d S lem m o n s to jo in h e r in an e x h ib i-
tio n b ased o n th e ir find in gs in P u a k o . R e -
calls S lem m o n s, “ T h e first tim e I m et K a y ,
she had r e c e n tly retu rn e d fro m H a w a ii.
T h e r e w e r e little sh ells on th e w in d o w s ill,
c a re fu lly a rran g e d to d ry in th e sun a fte r
clean in g . I n e v e r im ag in ed th at y e a rs later
w e w o u ld b o th b e m ak in g je w e lr y fro m th e
b e a ch e s o f th e B ig Islan d . B u t I w a s in te r-
este d in d o in g th e s h o w w ith K a y b ecau se ,
alth o u g h w e co m e fro m v e r y d iffe re n t p la c-
e s, w e are su ch k in d re d sp irits.”
W h e n S e k im ach i a p p ro ach ed E liza b e th
S h y p e rtt and M ik e H o lm e s o f th e S an F ra n -
cisco g a lle ry V e lv e t da V in c i, th e y w e r e
im m ed iately “ b lo w n a w a y ,” H o lm e s says.
“ K a y had b een w e a v in g all th e se y e a rs, and
K i f f is k n o w n fo r in c o rp o ra tin g fo u n d
o b je c ts w ith silv e rsm ith in g . D e s p ite th e ir
d iffe r e n t a p p ro a ch e s, th is m u tu al m u se—
P u a k o —cau se d th e ir w o r k to relate in a w a y
th at w a s illu m in atin g .” H e and S h y p e rtt
m ade th e d e cisio n to g ro u p th e tw o c o lle c -
tio n s to g e th e r, as i f re-crea tin g th e d ialogu e
b e tw e e n th e tw o artists. S lem m o n s used
ste rlin g silv e r to en case m an y o f th e sh ells,
sto n e s and o th e r fo u n d o b je c ts - s u c h as
d o lls’ a rm s -th a t ta k e th e p la ce o f g e m -
sto n es in h er b ro o ch e s and n e ck la ce s (an d
d e lib e ra te ly re siste d th e sp a rk ly green p e ri-
d ots th at also d o t th e b ea ch ). S e k im a ch i’s
p ie ce s h a ve a lig h te r o rg a n ic q u a lity , as
i f th e y ’v e g r o w n o u t o f th e sea g ra ss—th e
sh ells, coral and u rch in sp in es en tan g lin g
Above: Old techniques—
such as card weaving
and split-ply—find new
purposes in Sckimachi’s
necklaces.
Left: Kiff Slemmons’s
Starfish Memory Necklace
was made from shells
gathered on the beach
during a visit with
Sekimachi in Hawaii.
Opposite: Sckimachi’s
bulletin board is a repos-
itory of finished pieces
and works in progress.
w ith th e v e g e ta tio n . U s in g D a n ish p a p e r c o rd —th e k in d u sed
fo r c h air seats and b a c k s—an d b la c k an d w h ite p o lish e d c o tto n ,
S e k im a c h i em b ed s h e r o b je c ts w ith in th e fib e r; th e sh e ll in th e
Turrett Shell N ecklace
e m erg es fro m its w o v e n casin g as i f d re d g ed
in a fish in g n et.
A lth o u g h je w e lr y is h e r n e w e st p ro je c t, S ek im ach i has n o t aban -
d o n ed w e a v in g . A s w e ta lk , sh e sits sk e tc h in g o u t c o lo rs fo r an
u p co m in g s h o w at th e T e x tile M u se u m in W a s h in g to n , D C , at th e
in v ita tio n o f J a c k L a rs e n . “ T h e a rtists are su p p o se d to u se th e
c o lle c tio n as in s p ira tio n , and I fo u n d a w o n d e r fu l c a rry in g c lo th
fro m P eru . I ju s t m ade a w a rp in p re p a ra tio n ,” says S e k im a ch i,
w h o e n visio n s a trip ty c h . S o it’s b a c k to h e r first lo o m , p u rch ased
w ith h e r last $150 in 1949. S h e is also b u sy sen d in g o f f w o r k fo r
a g ro u p s h o w th is O c to b e r at S t. M a r y ’s C o lle g e in M o ra g a , C A ,
and a n ticip a tin g th e o p e n in g o f “ L o o m & L a th e : T h e A r t o f K a y
S e k im a c h i an d B o b S to c k s d a le ” at th e F u lle r C r a ft M u se u m in
B ro c k to n , M A , n e x t F e b ru a ry.
“ A t this stage o f m y life , I ’m ju s t d o in g w h a t I e n jo y ,” says S e k i-
m ach i. “ W e a v in g is v e r y p h y s ic a l w o r k —y o u re a lly fe e l it in th e
b a c k and k n e e s. B u t I ’m also h a p p y in m a n y d iffe re n t m e d ia ,” she
e x p la in s, n o d d in g to w a rd so m e n e c k la ce s and b ra ce le ts in p ro g re ss
p in n e d to a b o ard . “ A n d n o w , it tu rn s o u t th e re w a s a p u rp o se in
m y c o lle c tin g all th o se y e a rs!” *
Deborah Bishop, based in San Francisco, is a
D w e ll
m agazine
contributing editor. Photographer L eslie W illa m s’s book,
H a n d -
c ra fte d M o d e rn : A t H o m e w ith M id -C e n tu ry D e s ig n e rs ,
was
ju s t published by R iz z o li.
048 american craft oct/nov 10
