Presented through the eye of the artist, BMoCA’s fall Present Box exhibition, Todd Reed: Durty Raw, Passion, Love Seduction Money, Lust, is a non-sequential journey into the career of renowned jewelry designer Todd Reed. The exhibition weaves together moments of inspiration and objects, offering a unique and personalized glimpse into the practice, whims, and muses of the self-trained jeweler.

Todd Reed has been designing jewelry for over 20 years, and he has spent his life immersed in art and high craft. His mother, a renowned commercial illustrator, ensured that Todd’s childhood was filled with creative work: painting, drawing, and making things of beauty and functionality.

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After designing furniture, clothing, and leatherwork, creating sculpture and painting, and graduating with honors from culinary school, Todd became good friends with a well-known diamond collector. Todd describes this experience, saying: “His love for diamonds was infectious, and he showed me the artistry and miniature sculpture that appeared in the rough stones. I was riveted and wanted to know and see more. I realized that my aesthetic was to create jewelry that would push the boundaries of what precious pieces could be, and to merge the freedom of artistic expression with the allure of fine jewelry.”

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Todd has been moving around Colorado for some time, drawn to a lifestyle that allowed him to stay closely connected with nature. In 1996 he settled in Boulder, where he built his first shop and began to design jewelry for individual collectors. Since that time, he has built his organization to include 16 master jewelers, all creating jewelry designed by Todd and in close collaboration with Todd. In 2010, he built a retail showroom and studio space on Boulder’s Pearl Street. Because Todd’s design aesthetic extends to every area of his life, from the home he built to the bikes he rides, his workspace is also a dramatic statement of his design vision.

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At the heart of every success is his beautiful, high-quality jewelry. All of Todd Reed’s pieces are hand fabricated and finished in 18k gold, palladium, platinum, and silver in his Pearl Street studio. Todd’s primary focus now is continually creating new designs and managing the business, but he still sets aside time to work at his bench. Each design starts as a sketch from Todd. He personally selects the diamonds and other precious gemstones that they feature, and each piece is completely unique, every one a small link in Todd’s overall design vision.

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Todd Reed: Durty Raw, Passion, Love Seduction Money, Lust is an exhibition curated by Mardee Goff and presented at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art as part of BMoCA Present Box. Present Box is a series of temporary exhibitions that invite artists to transform BMoCA’s lobby and front entrance into innovative installations, performances, and events that last two weeks. Presented three times a year, the site-specific projects are intended to encourage artists to create work outside their comfort zone and to foster interactive participation. The exhibitions encourage experimentation and urge artists to test ideas and explore different approaches. Present Box exhibitions are always free and open to the public.