Wyatt Nestor-Pasicznyk - Plus One Collective
Wyatt Nestor-Pasicznyk
Designer biography:
Wyatt NP is a metalsmith, jeweler and enamelist working and living out of rural Maine. He graduated from Tyler School of Art with a BFA in Metalsmithing in 2021. He worked at Peters Valley School of Craft managing their Fine Metals studio as a Coordinator from 2023- 2024 and as an assistant in 2022. He is currently the Fine Metals Studio Technician at Maine College of Art and Design. NP has traveled a lot over the past few years teaching at other Craft Schools such as Arrowmont, Idyllwild, Peters Valley, Pocosin and the Appalachian Center for Craft. Educating others on the art of metalsmithing; specifically enameling is a passion of his, as is providing an inclusive and accepting space for other LGBT makers.
His larger body of work focuses on themes within folklore and the ways in which American western art can be recontextualized to fit rural identities and provide them with visibility. The culture of both farming and agriculture heavily impacted the iconography which helped shape his practice. In a world surrounded by horses, belt buckles are unavoidable. NP creates much of his work in the form of Champlevé enameled belt buckles; a type of body adornment tied to rural identity. One of his main passions is agriculture and the perseverance of farmers over generations as the land, climate and people change. He hopes to convey this sentiment in his work while providing visibility for all farmers, metalsmiths and craftspeople.
Collection concept
Belt buckles as an art form have deep ties to American Western imagery and iconography, which are very prevalent in the agricultural world I often find myself in. Fabricating belt buckles appeals to my own interests by creating these characterizations of narration in a form of body adornment so often masculinized and tied to rural identity. The culture of farming and agriculture is commonly thought of as something reserved for conservative, cisgender, white, heterosexual people. Growing up in a small rural town, working with horses my whole life and participating in FFA and 4H, farming and agriculture grounded me.
In this work I utilize a variety of techniques such as Champlevé enameling and traditional bench work. The imagery I invoke is heavily influenced by the rural American wilderness and impact the agricultural revolution had on traditional farming practices. There can be more recognition and appreciation for rural identities by recontextualizing these narrations into wearable jewelry for utility, enjoyment, expression and heritage.
