esi student exhibition

Today I installed some UWM student work at ESI. Environmental Systems Inc. (ESI) is a building and facility system integrator headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin. I was asked to show student work from my ART 271 Introduction to Jewelry and Metalsmithing course. The intro level work is from an assignment I developed that uses tattoos as inspiration for a site specific piece of jewelry. I asked students to research tattoos and jewelry across cultures, and to compare the similar functions that tattoos and jewelry have served throughout history. We discussed ideas of commemoration, status, self-expression, and ornamentation. Students then created a unique contemporary piece of site specific jewelry that draws from their inspiration and research. The work displayed was assembled using current and past student work from this assignment. Additional work from my Fall 2012 Industrial Processes course is also on display in an adjacent hallway. The Art of the Tattoo exhibition will be up until March 31st.

Established in 1986, ESI provides solutions for control; automation, systems integration, security, life safety, energy services and building operations. The new headquarters is a 34,100 square foot, Class A office building located in the Gateway West Commerce Center. The building strategy consisted of improved building performance and an integrated security system that would reduce operating costs, improve productivity, and generate measurable return on investment. The ESI building is the most energy efficient office building constructed in Wisconsin in the last 8 years (99 Energy Star rating) and is one of only 6 buildings in the world to achieve LEED double platinum status.