Interview: Xinyi Gao
Winner of the 2018 Pratt Design Show for Jewelry
UNLEASHED Women features inspiring female trailblazers through full Q&A interviews. These women are creating new own opportunities across industries, pursuing positive impact for their communities, and leading socially productive practices in life and work at large.
UNLEASHED’s founder, Kara Ross, had the pleasure of contributing one of Pratt University’s 2018 Design Show awards, providing scholarship funding to one student in the jewelry design major, selected from the cohort of presenting students that showcased at this year’s design show. The recipient of the award was designer Xinyi Gao, who created a line of wearable kinetic jewelry focused on balance and rhythm. We not only enjoyed meeting such young, driven talent, but held a conversation with Gao on her experiences, values, and goals for the future.
What is your educational background?
I graduated from Pratt Institute as a jewelry major student (BFA Fine Art degree).
Can you describe what the Pratt University program has taught you, and the award you were recognized for at the Pratt Design Competition?
As a student who had never received any professional art training before, the foundation year of Pratt was really helpful to me, especially the LCD class and 3D class. These classes built up my primary artistic thoughts and improved my ability to construct. I started jewelry classes during my second year of college. The jewelry program at Pratt is just amazing. The techniques we learned were various, including enameling, holloware, stone setting, etc. We also learned rendering, as well as digital tools, like Rhino. Overall, I believe the program is really helpful for students who aspire to open a studio in the future.
I was awarded 2nd Prize at the Pratt Design Competition.
How did you get started with jewelry design — what sparked your interest in the field?
I was actually enrolled in the Creative Writing major when I was accepted into Pratt. I took Creative Writing classes in the high school, and enjoyed writing poems and short stories, but I realized it was more of a hobby as opposed to something I wanted to pursue as a career. Then my mom suggested to try jewelry design because I was a huge fan of art, and I started hand-crafting things when I was a kid. That really opened a new door for me. I thought jewelry design would be something I had enough interest in to continue working at for years to come. I changed my major before the school year started, and it turned out to be the right decision. I’m glad I made that decision early on.
Who is your sheHERO?
My jewelry professor Patricia Madeja. I had no idea what jewelry making and design were before I came to Pratt, and still remember how astonished I was when I saw her works. Her architecture-inspired jewelry broke my boundary conceptions of what jewelry was. During my senior year she helped me improve my collection with various suggestions. Thanks to her support and encouragement, she’s helped me believe in my talent and myself — I feel more confident.
Who would you like to give gratitude to that has made everything you’ve accomplished so far possible?
My parents. I’m really grateful that my parents have afforded my tuition fee for the past four years. Without their love and support, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything. Making jewelry costs a lot of money, for both the tools and materials. I’m glad that my parents have given me comfortable living conditions — I don’t need to worry about other things, and can focus on my education and career. Even though they are not with me in U.S., I video call them often, and they give me a lot of encouragement.
What exciting projects do you plan to pursue in the future? Do you have any “next steps” indicated for after graduation?
It’s an honor to have been selected to present at the LOOT show at MAD Museum in 2019. For the next year I’ll be working on this, and try to create more pieces for the show. Meanwhile, I’m also looking for jobs to earn more working experience, whether it’s as a design assistant or bench jeweler. My ultimate goal is to have my own studio one day, or even my own brand.
What are some ways your jewelry influenced our world in ways that people might not often think about?
This is a question that I’ve never thought about, because I didn’t intend for any specific impact when I made my collection. But after I listened to all of the viewers’ comments on my pieces, I realized I might be able to challenge conventional perspectives of what daily wearable jewelry should look like. I’m always trying to find balance between commercial jewelry and artistic jewelry, because I want to make my pieces interesting and unique, but I also want there to be a market for them. My recent collection is about balance — all the pieces are kinetic. The constructed forms and the way they move are not common in the commercial jewelry market, not jewelry that people often wear every day. I want to change people’s thoughts: Daily wearable jewelry can also be movable and playful. I want us to let jewelry interact with the rhythms of our bodies.
Do you have any opinions on the potential future impact your generation may bring to the arts industry and beyond?
We, the young generation, live in a world that has so many social issues and intergroup conflicts. I notice that many art students pay attention to politics and society and are not afraid to express their own opinions about these issues through their work. I think the arts industry will act as an invaluable tool when it comes to reflecting the truths of our society in the future.
What sources have significantly inspired your work (place, person, experience, worldview…)?
As I wrote in my artistic statement, the forms and patterns of my work are inspired by Chinese architecture, especially doors and windows of ancient Chinese gardens. I was brought up in a riverside city in Southern China, and am immensely influenced by that type of aesthetic. After studying in the United States and encountering American culture, my aesthetic appreciation changed in some ways. I decided to simplify the Chinese architecture and aesthetic I knew so well by interpreting them in a modern, clean style.
What are some quick pieces of advice you would give to a young student entering university?
Don’t afraid to challenge yourself. College is a great opportunity to explore different things. Don’t limit your imagination, even though you may not be able to achieve what you want, it’s worth a try. One more thing that is really important: Do not stay up late every day, you need to keep yourself healthy! And for art students, try not to sit all day long, get up and work your shoulders and neck, your waists, move your body.
What are some important life philosophies or values you encourage others to consider?
It’s good to have your own personality and identity, but sometimes it’s better to be moderate, because moderation will help you notice your deficiencies, and then improve yourself holistically.
Biggest pet peeve?
Waiting for someone, people being late.
Favorite thing that makes you happy?
Dark chocolate and cats. Just can’t resist them.
What are some interesting goals you have for the future, or new things you’d like to try? What steps are you taking so far to get there?
I would like to travel around the world to see different sights — experience different cultures — with my parents or friends. I also want to learn more craftwork, like wood carving or stone carving. I tried charcoal carving in middle school and was quite addicted to it. That intrigues me to experiment with other materials.
Why do you think empowering women and giving back is important?
Gender discrimination still exists in our society. Women face many inequities in our lives and professional pursuits. In our society, there is a general impression of women: Women are not capable of doing big things, like leading a company or a country. But this is not true. Many women have the ability but lack the opportunity. It is very important to empower women, especially to have females who are already successful in their fields give back. They’re the ones who understand how hard it is for women to start their businesses and careers, and can understand what other women truly need. It could be an amazing loop: More women do better in their fields, and they in turn give back to more and more women. Perhaps one day women will have the same power as men, and gender discrimination will be diminished until it’s completely gone.
