We the People by Kara Hamilton

'We the People' is an online project presented by Salon 94 & Salon 94 design, featuring handmade brass election pins and accessories by artist Kara Hamilton with sales benefitting FairVote and Earthjustice Action.

The unique and editioned pins are using the lost-wax process whereby a wax model is created and then cast in a metal alloy. While the editioned pieces use a mold to make multiple wax models, the unique works are only cast once.

Photography Katy Grannan

The solid brass pins range from the clear and undeniable titled: 'Crying Eagle' or 'Melting Liberty', to the more opaque and personal titles: 'WeaponEyes' or 'Bleeding Heart Love'.

As Hamilton notes, these pins “can act as both armour and amulet, offering protection while admitting vulnerability.”

Referring to her work as “critical decoration,” she repurposes salvaged metals into jewelry and sculpture, and appropriates the election pin, characteristically flimsy, itinerant, and mass produced, and has fashioned weighty, enduring objects that correspond with the hefty choices the American people face in November.

In We the People, Hamilton and Grannan issue a call to reclaim and preserve our democracy. They dare us to wear these objects and speak up for our country, our collective values, without apology.

26 unique election pins/pendants accented with ‘medal’ ribbon and 10 pins in editions of 20 by Kara Hamilton packaged in a Salon 94 Design “We the People” canvas bag with prices ranging from $150 - $2,400.

All works will be available at www.shop.salon94design.com