National Museums Scotland

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Leah Black: jewellery maker/designer

Leah BlackStylish jewellery combining forgotten icons of a bygone age with a distinctive modern approach.

About Leah

Leah Black graduated from Glasgow School of Art with a 1st class honours degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery, and was awarded the Chairman’s Medal as the top student in design. Since then her work has been exhibited across the country, and she has received many awards and bursaries for her creativity.

Now based in Glasgow, Leah has travelled widely in Europe, working as a jeweller and silversmith.

Leah’s vision

Leah is fascinated by the relationship between object and memory. In particular, she is interested in the creation of artefacts to assist the retention of memory, such as tombstones, memorials, statues, medals and souvenirs, and in their decay, destruction, removal or neglect.

Leah takes as inspiration the surfeit of monuments in Glasgow and Edinburgh: once revered, high on their plinths and platforms, these important figures of their day are now forgotten. Using a piercing saw, she carves silhouettes of these fallen idols from brass and silver sheet, setting some with semi-precious stones on claw settings, to suggest decay, dust or moss that has grown over time and through neglect.

Her unique range includes rings, bangles, earrings and brooches.

Meet Leah

As part of Meet Your Maker, Leah will be creating a unique display in the gallery, where visitors will become part of the show, placed on a pedestal like a work of art. Leah will ask visitors to strike a pose and will immortalise their silhouetted image in a brass monument pin.

The finished pins will be displayed on their own plinths in the gallery, and will be available for purchase once the exhibition closes.

Leah will be in the gallery on the following dates and time:

Friday 29 January, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Saturday 30 January, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Tuesday 2 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Thursday 4 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Friday 5 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Monday 8 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Wednesday 10 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Thursday 11 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Friday 12 February, 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm
Saturday 13 February, 11am-1pm and 2pm-4pm
Tuesday 16 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Wednesday 17 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Thursday 18 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Friday 19 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Saturday 20 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Tuesday 23 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Thursday 25 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Friday 26 February, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm
Tuesday 2 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm

Wednesday 3 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm 
Thursday 4 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm 
Friday 5 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm 
Saturday 6 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm 
Tuesday 9 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm 
Thursday 11 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm 
Friday 12 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm 
Saturday 13 March, 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm