A Songbird’s Alight
Words by Sydney Bell | Photography curtesy of Barbara Birdsong
There is a cheep, followed by a chirp, that proceeds a trill of tweets. I’m awakened every morning, and most nights, by these series of sounds. Harper Lee could not have titled my early morning and late night internal monologues any better.
Mockingbirds are not the only ones perched in our community. I had the pleasure of speaking with Barbara Birdsong, the owner of Perch Jewelry Studio, pre-pandemic, about how she uses art to awaken and enrich the community.
As an immigrant to the area, I never expected to see a jewelry studio in what I would consider to be such a small town. “Why a jewelry studio?” I thought.
Like myself, Barbara is a transplant in Auburn. While accompanying her husband during his active duty in the Air Force, she was inspired by a young woman who was living her creative dream in Alaska. It was there in that jewelry studio where Barbara was first introduced to jewelry as an art form.
She explained, “Jewelry was exciting because there weren’t rules, and you could use anything to create layers of textures and combine these natural elements. It was also fun to problem solve techniques to get the design I was pushing. It’s easy to get lost and follow your curiosities and constantly learning new processes.”
As an artist, she spoke to me about what aesthetics she’s drawn to and her love for the medium:
“I’ve always been drawn to the natural and simple designs as an artist. I love to find ways to highlight the natural gemstones and elements and capture a primitive feel of the metals. I love to take my designs to a point where they’re not overworked and still show the imperfections or marks of the maker. The craft of jewelry design has been passed down since the nomads. Jewelry has meaning and signifies many occasions in our daily lives. Art is any form of expression and jewelry has been used to express feelings of love and commitment and other spiritual traditions, as well as expressions of form, color, and texture.”
After her family's last station at Maxwell Air Force Base, they decided to plant roots in Auburn. It was here in this community that she shared her passion for creativity and opened Perch Jewelry Studio.
“My vision was to always be a working studio, a place people would ‘perch’ themselves,” Barbara said. “A place to linger in thoughtful conversation—create, collaborate and feel inspired,” she said.
That vision has become an experience where creativity is boundless. It’s a place to be inspired and create something beautiful. It’s a place that brings awareness to local artists such as Po Weise, Rabbit-Fish ceramics and Andrew Hartley. One of Barbara’s favorite quotes from the late great Merle Haggard says, “Art is the transfer from emotion of one to another.” That transfer of emotion resonates in the air of the studio. It’s an incurable contagion that brings beauty to our community.
“The craft of jewelry design has been passed down since the nomads. Jewelry has meaning and signifies many occasions in our daily lives. Art is any form of expression and jewelry has been used to express feelings of love and commitment and other spiritual traditions, as well as expressions of form, color, and texture.”
Since the pandemic, so many things have become the new normal: face masks, social distancing and online shopping. Although the latter has been present and prominent in the local and national economies for years, the pandemic has forced many stores to rely solely on e-commerce, Perch included.
Recently, I’ve driven by the studio to find it had been emptied. Personally, I was taken by surprise. It felt like a flower had been picked before it could fully bloom. On a phone call with Barbara, I expressed my sentiments. If you’ve ever had the pleasure to meet or speak with Barbara then you’ve experienced the tranquility of her presence. And that moment she was able to reassure me that Perch is still actively producing art for the community. She expressed that the pandemic created a circumstance that required change in order to protect her business and her health. With most of her staff graduating from Auburn and the obvious benefits of social distancing, Barbara decided to move the business completely online.
Although some things have changed, Perch’s commitment to the community has not.
Currently she’s working on ways to bring the studio aspect to her business online by allowing customization to the pieces available. She also plans to collaborate with other businesses for gathering parties where you can create your own pieces as if you were in her own studio. Perch Jewelry Studio fosters community by bringing people together to create art in memories that have become a legacy of Barbara in our community.
When asked about her long term plans for the studio, Barbara simply said, “To unfold naturally into what it’s supposed to be for my family and the community. Continue to be a positive force in our community by building relationships and encouraging creativity and a safe place for artists to exhibit and conduct workshops.”
Barbara continues to express herself and contribute to the community through Perch Jewlery Studio—which is very much alive via its online shop. You can shop Barbara’s jewelry and continue to support her creation at www.perchjewelrystudio.com. She is currently working on a new line of jewelry inspired by thoughtful, slow design and humans’ relationship with our environment. Keep up-to-date with Barbara and Perch Jewlery Studio on Instagram and Facebook.