About Me & The Project

My Name is Rachel Shimpock and I am a Metalsmith Artist. I specialize in making Contemporary Art Jewelry based on food. I investigate the parallels of how family recipes and family jewelry get passed down through generations.

As a human I love to eat! I love to cook! All my favorites were taught to me by my elders. When I was taught a recipe I felt the importance of the legacy of it and took on the responsibility of passing it on, especially to the younger ones of my family. Passing a recipe down is special and I believe makes the recipient part of your family legacy. I might be wrong but it feels so right!

I have done a deep dive into my past and this project aims to explore the role of the recipe in others families. Why? Well…when i wear my toast necklace for instance I am stopped and told stories by the viewer. I tell my story, they tell me theirs. The more stories I heard the more I wanted to create a way to catalog them and the storyteller as well.

This is my response, this is my idea to create a permanent artifact of the recipe by taking a portion of the food and making it forever with metal. The hope is with the combination of my efforts and their story we can create a permanent memory to be worn close to the heart of whoever wears it…connecting the wearer to the story and inviting more stories to come. I invite you to follow along as the stories unfold.

Have a story of your own? Contact me!

here I am! Please feel free to email me with any questions!