JESSE MOORE 

Catskill, NY
 

Jesse Moore was born in the District of Columbia. After graduating from high school, she moved to Florence, Italy where she worked in the studio of photographer/filmmaker, Marzio Bini. Upon returning to the U.S. she earned her BFA, with a concentration on sculpture, at the Philadelphia College of Art. From 1986 to 2004, she maintained her sculpture studio in New York City showing small works in gallery settings and monumental works in public spaces.

In 2004 a chance encounter with shoemaking led to deepening interest, and then to a change in the focus of her work. Jesse found only a minimal culture of hand shoemaking in the U.S., so eventually traveled overseas to advance her training. She studied various shoemaking skills with selected masters. In 2013 she and a partner opened Brooklyn Bespoke Handsewn Shoes, an atelier catering to individual clients. In 2017 they closed the Brooklyn storefront and Jesse moved to her current workroom in Catskill, NY. Having come full circle, she is now reviving her art practice utilizing the techniques and skills of the shoemaker.

Question: Can a pair of shoes be art?
Answer: Yes. In this, our time when process is generally obscure and sources innominate, I practice this emphatically anachronistic form; an incantation to manifest the universal-personal.

 

After Uvalde
Handmade shoe: blue horse hide, red calf, reliquary: wood, glass, silver leaf, red lighting gel, bullet casings
2022

The Most Interesting Thing About You is Me
French caviar calf, gold leaf (embossing by Brien Beidler)
2022

I Am Late For Work
Peanut French calf, embroidery floss
2014

Artist?Artisan?
Navy and black French calf leather, cotton laces with brass aiglets
2024

The Treachery of Influence
Brown museum calf, black calf, blue and white kangaroo
2024

The footwear in the exhibition is all bespoke – and therefore custom-made for the customer.  If available, we have provided contact information for you to learn more about how this process works with each of the artists.