Calliope Reception & Artist Talks

Gravers Lane Gallery proudly presents “Calliope”, a joint jewelry exhibition between Lisa and Scott Cylinder at Gravers Lane Gallery. Join us for the first opening reception on September 5, 2025, from 5–8 PM, with an artist talk at 6:30 PM. A second reception will be held on October 4, 2025 from 5–8 PM. Come meet the artists and celebrate the magic, meaning, and meticulous craft of contemporary jewelry.

Lisa and Scott Cylinder are nationally acclaimed studio jewelers and educators whose narrative-driven, mixed-media work has captivated audiences since 1998. Known for their masterful use of found objects and unconventional materials, the Cylinders blend storytelling, wit, and technical prowess in every piece. As co-founders of Chickenscratch Jewelry, they’ve exhibited internationally and taught at esteemed institutions such as Tyler School of Art and the National College of Art & Design in Dublin.

Calliope symbolizes their convergence of concepts and imagery taken from Greek Mythology, the Circus, and Carousels. Emphasizing fantastical creatures composed of brass wind instruments combined with their fabrications, the works are irreverent, metaphorical, and playful, evoking notions of youthful wonder and discovery. This fantastical collection will feature one-of-a-kind brooches, necklaces, and sculptural objects —each piece invites viewers into a world of invention, where craftsmanship becomes performance.

The Cylinders’ work resides in major museum collections, including the Museum of Arts and Design (NYC), Racine Art Museum, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, and the CERF+ “Bird in Hand” Miniature Collection. They’ve been featured in significant exhibitions such as Adore/Adorn (LSU Museum of Art), Triptych: Life, Love, Death (Galerie La Joaillerie par Mazlo, Paris), Blinding the Cyclops (Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco), and SOFA fairs in New York and Chicago. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, including Narrative Jewelry: Tales from the Toolbox, Mastering Contemporary Jewelry Design, theArt Jewelry Today and 500 series (Schiffer/Lark Books), Metalsmith, and American Craft magazines.

Lisa and Scott met in 1984 as Jewelry & Metals students at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, bonding over music, cigarettes, and a mutual passion for making. Following years of education, industry experience, and graduate studies at SUNY New Paltz, they married and founded their jewelry business in 1988. After a decade focused on production, they shifted their energies toward one-of-a-kind art jewelry—while raising two children and renovating homes in their native Pennsylvania.

Their creative partnership is rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and a shared aesthetic curiosity. Despite distinct approaches and personalities, their work reflects a seamless blend of two voices into one. In 2018, the Cylinders relocated to Maine to pursue a deeper connection to nature and a more balanced life. When not in their studio, affectionately called “The Wedge,” they can be found hiking, gardening, swimming, cycling, foraging mushrooms, and exploring the natural beauty of their surroundings.

Gravers Lane Gallery is honored to host Calliope—a celebration of artistic ingenuity, storytelling, and the enduring wonder of wearable art.