Emily Joyce | Bored in Class Spinner Ring

Artist: Emily Joyce, Ohio
Materials: sterling silver, spinner bearing, brass
Size: 8

Artist Statement: When I was younger, the fidget spinner wasn't invented. I would handle my anxiety by coloring in the white spaces of the composition notebook with a pen. I would fold paper into mini airplanes, and quietly tear off each perforated piece of paper from the edge of a spiral-bound notebook paper. I would listen to the click of a rotating fan which would heighten my anxiety, and I would watch the tick of the second hand of a clock slowly pass through 50 minutes which felt like an eternity. I use the imagery of the composition pattern because it evokes these memories of boredom for me. The merry-go-round has become a symbol of pushing through time. In school, every day felt like a repetition of the one before, and the feeling of being trapped while in motion. Feeling like you can't get off unless you jump, or nauseously waiting until it slowly comes to a stop. This imagery summarizes my childhood experience in school. How ironic that I became a teacher myself and the imagery has now layered into a more complex feeling of remembering what school was like, trying to make it a better experience for others, and now watching my kids repeat the same emotions I went through. Time is funny.

Artist Bio: Emily Joyce is a Vitreous Enamelist and Art Studio instructor from Cleveland, Ohio. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Enameling from The Cleveland Institute of Art and has a Master in Arts Education from Case Western Reserve University. Emily works with memories from her childhood experience and creates nostalgic wearable art and small sculptures. She is inspired by working with elementary-age kids in an art studio environment for 15 years which is often reflected in her work.

This ring was part of Battle of the Rings: Ring Smackdown 2023, an online exhibition and competition. View the entire collection HERE, view the matches HERE, and learn more HERE.