By Kelsey Grove 

I’ve been interested in science since I was a small child. I loved learning about how things worked and always had so much curiosity and wonder about the world around me. As an adult, my love for science developed into advocacy for important topics like climate change and environmental sustainability. More recently, I’ve been focusing my efforts on activism during this time when science has been under attack.

Now, when science is increasingly under attack, I’ve been focusing my efforts on activism in the best way I know how… through making art.

As a jewelry artist, selling my work has been a struggle – oddly enough, I don’t like asking for money in exchange for my work (it feels weird putting a price on something I enjoyed creating) and I don’t enjoy the idea of mass producing a design. This unique mentality led me to the idea that I could make one-of-a-kind jewelry that could be exchanged for

something other than money – important scientific research.

I developed Adorned Awareness as a  non-profit jewelry exchange program that links hand-made accessories with current scientific research. This program is designed to share important scientific information with the public, straight from the credible source. This program is about promoting science literacy and awareness about topics that are rarely covered in the media. Adorned Awareness makes science relatable, and perhaps more importantly, understandable for everyone.

Here’s how it works. After collaborating with a scientist, I develop a jewelry design that visually represents their research. Once completed, the piece is stamped with a unique QR code to link participates with an online summary of the research findings, key facts, and statistics in terms that typical citizens can understand. When the accessory is worn, it is exchanged with the first person who inquiries about the piece. The current owner will explain the significance of the jewelry and the scientist who conducts the research. The new participant is given the piece and asked to scan the QR code, which directs them to the Adorned Awareness website, where they can track their location and learn more about the science behind the jewelry. The process continues each time the piece is discovered by a new individual, spreading awareness at every point of exchange.

While I am still in the developing stages of this program, I am currently looking for more scientists who are interested in sharing their work with the public. At this time, we are focusing more on climate change and environmental sustainability, but look forward to expanding our topics as this program develops!

Interested in working with me? Email me at [email protected] to start our collaboration!

-Kelsey Grove is an elementary school art teacher, a jewelry artist, and science advocate.