Charlotte's "Noda News" magazine chooses Chrysalis Studios as their "Featured Art
I am honored that Noda News Magazine out of Charlotte NC has chosen me and my company as their "featured artist" of the month! The full article is shown below! Noda (aka: The North Davidson Arts District) is Charlotte's renowned arts district with a growing collective of artists. I am so proud to have my studio located in such a supportive and creative neighborhood!
Here is a full transcript of the article:
“MTV NEEDED MORE BUTTERFLIES”
FEATURED ARTIST: JACLYN BRZEZINSKI
By: Lauren Schalburg
"While the title may be true, I am talking about an artist living here in NoDa’s Steel Gardens whose Real Butterfly Wing jewelry was included in The Artisan Group® celebrity gift bags and on display at GBK’s MTV Movie Awards Celebrity Gift Lounge this April.
Artist Jaclyn Brzezinski, the designer behind Chrysalis Studios, selected some of her favorite pieces for the display, including necklaces, bracelets, and cufflinks made from a variety of actual butterfly and moth wings. Here in NoDa, we’re lucky to be counted among the likes of Emma Stone and Kate Upton because we can find similar pieces displayed down the street at Ruby’s Gift.
Who hasn’t seen a butterfly up close and wanted a way to preserve that intricate design, exotic coloring, and magical shimmer? When I first saw Jaclyn’s work at an All Arts Market several years ago, I was struck by the bold creativity of the idea itself. She takes a real butterfly wing and embeds it under magnified glass and then places it in antique silver Victorian style settings. She also creates butterfly “kaleidoscope” collages as well aswhimsical framed butterflies accented with peacock feathers or antique keys.
Hold your horses and don’t call PETA. Jaclyn ethically sources the butterfly and moth wings from sanctuaries and farms where the majestic insects live out their full life span. They are then collected and made into jewelry so that their beauty can live on in her designs.
She is naturally educated on the subject of butterflies (or Lepidoptera if you’re so fancy). Maybe you haven’t heard of a butterfly farm, but Jaclyn explains, “Butterfly farming helps to preserve rain forests and assure the survival of natural butterfly habitats. Native people are encouraged to grow plants and raise insects as opposed to clearing land for cash crops. Raising and selling insects is the only incentive many indigenous people have to save their tropical forests. Most of these farms also release up to 20% of the butterflies they raise into the wild.” Jaclyn supports and donates to the Rainforest Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving rainforests around the world and the many species that live within them.
She began creating her Real Butterfly Wing jewelry in 2008 and sold her first piece at a 2009 All Arts Market. Since then, her line of jewelry has taken off. She loves living in NoDa, where she thinks “it’s really cool to run into people she’s never met wearing her jewelry. She says, “There is no other neighborhood so immersed in the spirit of art, music, and culture. Everyone is super supportive of each other’s talents and engaged in growing the art community as a whole.” She supports other local artists by purchasing their work. As an example, she recently purchased a painting by artist Alexandra Loesser, who has a studio in NoDa and who also has modeled jewelry for Chrysalis Studios.
Since the MTV Movie Awards, it’s been exciting to see the feedback from celebrities, including photos of actresses wearing their sunset moth bracelets. Celebrities have also shown their appreciation for the jewelry on social media, like Moniece Slaughter of “Love & Hip Hop” who tweeted, “I have the perfect ring and boho chic ensemble to accompany your piece thank you so much xoxoxo”."
Here is a link to the Noda News website: http://www.noda.org/about/noda-news.html