Connective Roots

Working out of her studio in central Minnesota, Madison Holler thinks of her work—making one-of-a-kind wearable pieces for Rubinski Works, her bead art and jewelry company—as bridging the gap between traditional craft and modern jewelry-making practices. It’s also about telling the stories of her ancestors and the world around her. All of Holler’s work draws on her Dutch, Scandinavian, and Anishinaabe heritage with an emphasis on folklore and the beauty of the natural world.

Holler’s technical expertise lies in working with glass and metal seed beads on waxed thread and shaping precious metals to create components for her earrings, pendants, and necklaces. Using her graphic design skills, she collaborates with businesses and other craftspeople, giving her the opportunity to explore artistic practices without the time-intensive task of learning new mediums. “I love collaborating with people who have skill sets and assets I don’t,” says Holler. “I have friends who make sustainably produced garments. Working with them means I can explore sewing and natural fiber dyeing but skip over the work of building a garment company from the ground up.”

Today potential collaborators reach out to her as often as she reaches out to them. After an attention-getting turn at the Walker Art Center’s Jewelry & Accessory Makers Mart in 2017, she’s worked steadily with collaborators large and small. Among those projects: creating a nature-inspired design for a Minnesota Public Radio tote bag and a graphic design for an Algonquin Motors sweatshirt that draws inspiration from her father’s love of motorcycles and the motorcycle trips they took along the Mississippi when she was a child. “It was truly an honor to work with her,” says Christine Luckasavitch, co-founder of Algonquin Motors. “Madison is someone who brings so much beauty to the world, not only through her designs but through simply existing. She is truly one of the loveliest humans I have the privilege of knowing.”