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Steven KP

Madeira/Timber Ring
Now On View Recent Acquisition

Maker

Steven KP (American, b. 1995 in Wisconsin), (RISD MFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing)

Title

Madeira/Timber Ring

Year

2023

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

4 x 4.3 x 3.2 cm (1 9/16 x 1 11/16 x 1 1/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum purchase: gift of Joseph A. Chazan, MD

Object Number

2023.78.2

Type

Exhibition History

Art and Design from 1900 to Now
Jun 04, 2022 – Sep 01, 2026

Label copy

This necklace and ring were carved by RISD alum steven KP from a single piece of a mahogany, originally mislabeled madeira, in RISD’s Manning Rare Woods collection. Once prized for furniture making, mahogany was cut down in the Caribbean at an alarming rate using slave labor and shipped to Europe and North America. Centuries of overharvesting and illegal logging have made the trees an endangered species today. KP’s slow, methodical carving process reveals knots in the wood—loosely bound but permanently fixed—and the histories and stories tied up within.

–Emily Banas, associate curator
of decorative arts and design

Related Objects

Steven KP

Madeira/Timber (Necklace and Box)

Steven KP

Design Drawing for Relief in Madeira (Ring)

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Tombstone

Steven KP (American, b. 1995 in Wisconsin)
Madeira/Timber Ring, 2023
Mahogany
4 x 4.3 x 3.2 cm (1 9/16 x 1 11/16 x 1 1/4 inches)
Museum purchase: gift of Joseph A. Chazan, MD 2023.78.2

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