CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART GRADUATE DREGREE EXHIBITION 2025  
GRADUATES \\ WORK \\ ABOUT \\
JAYSON
OLSON
DEPARTMENT
METALS
I see my studio practice as a way to fuel my imagination and give new experiences to my child self. I am trans masculine and I feel as though my exterior childhood experiences were not reflective of my internal experiences. I did not have access to masculinity as a child. It’s the responsibility of my adult self to discover and determine which parts of masculinity I want to subscribe to and participate in.

A lot of my visual inspiration is coming from social gender performances like ice fishing and facial hair grooming. Creating these pieces of jewelry can be seen as a continuation of gender performance. I fantasize about my works and imagine myself wearing them as a child. They are reflective of me and my retroactively fabricated memories. My hope is that they can be used as a tool for empathy and understanding between myself, people like me, and everyone else.



Fishing Necklaces
2024, Sterling silver, found objects
Terry and Reginald
2024, Sterling silver, found objects  
Fishing Chain Necklace
2024, Found object