About the Artist:

Gerry Florida‘s intrigue with the “beauty of imperfection” has led her to work on behalf of at risk populations locally and nationally.  As an award-winning assemblage artist who refers to herself as professional " Master of Imperfection”,  her work carries underlying messages of rebirth, recovery and reclamation through an array of recycled materials that she employs in her jewelry creations and teaching approach. Her work exemplifies her philosophy employing salvaged, vintage and contemporary materials in a blend that trademarks her style and design.  Gerry's strong beliefs and philosophy are born from life experience and the multiple reinventions during her journey through recovery resulting from a chemical exposure accident that left her isolated  for six years ...and of which she emerged as an award-winning artist, community program developer and advocate for environmental issues and at-risk populations on all fronts. Teaching symbolically, she helps students mobilize ideas, experiences and material resources to understand and incorporate the concepts of "recovery and empowerment" in their own lives... as well as instills a desire to survive in spite of our own imperfections and those surrounding us.  Gerry delivers beauty through imperfection as symbolically demonstrated by the recycled materials in her work  and shares that understanding  with her students.  Teaching in and out of state, she nurtures a special interest in working with challenged individuals to include those in trauma , at-risk youth,  special needs and seniors. 

In 2009 Gerry began her work with delinquent populations piloting a volunteer jewelry arts program at Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the first of its kind nationwide involving the use of otherwise prohibitive tools (contraband) in a detention setting. The program was immediately successful and was followed by an invite to join the Federal Title I Program as the art instructor presenting her jewelry arts program year-round.  As a result of her successful track record and incident free program, she was invited to introduce the work of her students at the Juvenile Detention Association of Pennsylvania State Conference, The 21st National Symposium for The National Partnership on Juvenile Services, as well as The Women in Corrections National Conference.  In 2013, thirty of Gerry's student works from Shuman Juvenile Detention Center were featured along with fourteen international artists in the world premier exhibition at The Society for Contemporary Craft Titled "Enough Violence; Artist's Speak Out."  The student exhibition was the result of her four-year continual effort to externalize the work of detention youth while protecting anonymity in order to bring public awareness to the problems faced by at-risk populations and their rehabilitative needs for reentry into society as productive individuals. The response was overwhelming resulting in a traveling exhibit scheduled for the Allegheny County City County Building in downtown Pittsburgh in 2014 and an invite to the "The 2014 Women Working in Corrections and Juvenile Justice National Conference" where she presented her jewelry arts program as well as the traveling "Enough Violence" exhibition.  The Enough Violence Student exhibition traveled to six locations before it returned to Pittsburgh.  In 2015 Gerry was honored with the County Commissioners of Pennsylvania Best Practices Award.   2015 also presented the opportunity as guest panelist for the national webinar titled "The Importance of Art Programming in Juvenile Detention" working with the National Partnership on Juvenile Services and The Juvenile Detention Association of Pennsylvania through The National Center for Youth in Custody and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.  Most recently,   in August of 2016, she received a Community Citation from The Office of the Allegheny County Executive .

Gerry ‘s philosophy transcends her teaching style inspiring at risk populations who struggle with recreating identities that embrace both the successes and failures of life.

Linkedin

Florida Recycled / My Space

Pittsburgh Artist Registry

Gallerie Chiz

POSHMARK   / Find Florida Recycled Jewelry