Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2002)
february 1.2 0 0 2 ■ ART Together in life and work Michelle Meizner and Susan Onaclea have made an a rt out of commitment PHOTO BY SUSAN by creations to outlets in New York. Primarily self-taught, she preferred to tinker, calling herself a “bulldog with a bone.” Onaclea’s previous work includes photography, writing and teaching. She moved from Eugene to New York in the 1980s and was employed as a caregiver but suffered two car accidents, which disabled her. She met Meizner, and the two decided to make the move back to Onaclea’s hometown in 1987. Onaclea saw her partners fluctuating efforts in jewelry Michelle Meizner (left) and Susan Onaclea make beautiful making and took charge setting jewelry together up a bookkeeping system and serving as an “organizing, methodical force,” ■ B * he business W eb site o f Michelle Meizner Meizner smiles. Ona- and Susan Onaclea explains: “Two women elea also became were drawn together to create something involved in the cre I more than themselves. Something that ative process, having a might pay the rent wouldn’t hurt either.” good eye for color as Those ever-elusive opposing goals have come well as the ability to together for Meizner and Onaclea, who have stay focused and to see been life partners for 14 years and business part the “big picture.” ners for most of that time. T heir first names— Meizner welcomed “S u ’san and “M iche”lle— inspired the name for the input, and in the first year of their relationship, their jewelry company, Sumiche. Six months the two designed and made jewelry together, ran a ago, the women went from outdoor market and wholesale business and sold at lesbian festivals. wholesale selling to indoor retail with their During this period, the couple stuck to newest venture, Vivace Gallery in Eugene. Meizner s early designs— mostly lesbian symbols and depictions of diversity. “People pins,” Meiz eizner describes her past self as an “on- ner describes them, “butch women, fat women, again, off-again” jeweler. She worked for just looking cool. This was our first statement.” others, ran a jewelry store and sold her In keeping with that mis sion, the couple have always been out in their enterprise. “We were vocal about it,” Onaclea says, explaining it did n’t make any sense for them not to be. The Sumiche Web site features a photograph of them as a couple. “Our customers Vivace Gallery is the only place to find existing Sumiche creations— along are gay and with a lot of other neat stuff PHOTO BY SUSAN DETROY M S usan D etroy straight,” Onaclea says, claiming both customer bases “respond that they are glad about who we are and glad we make a point of it.” T he pair were both active in 1992’s No on 9 Campaign, writing letters to fellow businesses revealing Sumiche was lesbian- owned. In their personal lives they decided to do one visible out thing a day, such as holding hands or hugging. This has resulted in loyalty from the sexual minorities community. Looking for a more visible approach to sell ing, in the early ’90s Meizner and Onaclea “He and his partner were so nervous and sweat ing they nearly couldn’t get the rings on!” In fact, the pair have several interesting sto ries about their clients. O ne lesbian couple who had been together 30 years had a ceremony on a bed with their dogs. A n Illinois man rented a Humvee, showed up with an engagement ring at his boyfriend’s work, got on his knee in proposal and whisked him off on an adventure tour. “W e receive thank-you love letters and pic tures and words about how important the rings are,” Onaclea grins. Both women emphasize how honored they are that customers trust them to provide a treasured product. Adopting new marketing strategies in the mid-’90s including mailing portfolios to cus tomers and advertising in national publica tions, Sumiche took off. “W e thought the port folio idea was a good one, but we had no idea!” exclaims Meizner. Now with the W eb site, she makes about 350 rings a year. eizner and O naclea recently embarked on a new venture as two o f the four owners o f Vivace Gallery, the only material out let of Sum iche Jew el ry. T h e shop shows the work of 30 artists, including other les bians and gay men. Jeannie Singer, Meizner’s mother, also shows her photogra phy at Vivace. T h e couple spend time outside their busi nesses caring for their 4 1/2-acre home in Leaburg, where O naclea says she feels a responsibility to the land. Like many self- employed people, they talk about the chal lenge of working at home and learning the boundaries of their various roles. “It’s like one big stew pot,” Meizner says. “It is hard to see the separate pieces.” O n aclea agrees. “To keep us separate— as in us as relationship, as opposed to us as c o owners— it can be hard to find just us.” But the love of their work makes any chal lenge worth facing. W hat else does that Web site say? They have “pooled their resources, pooled their talents, pooled their hearts and visions, and, most importantly of all, they are still loving and learning the work they do.” |H M took Sumiche Jewelry to Eugene’s Saturday Market, where they sold for nine years. Si ) umiche’s most well-known product idea I originated from clients. T h e rising anti-gay ' politics led to an intensified desire for com mitment rings, which have become the main stay of Sumiche Jewelry. T h e couple made their first house call in 1989 to a Volkswagen camper in Portland. They sat around a little table designing their first custom ring for a woman’s lover. In Portland their customer base developed partly with the help of Holly Mulcahey, owner of It’s My Pleasure, where Sumiche provided on-site design services. “Holly was so support ive,” Onaclea remembers. “A t the time we were the only nationally out lesbian jewelry makers doing custom work.” Both women note the rewards of working per sonally with couples and individuals. “We are part of people’s lives at an intimate time,” Ona clea shares. “W hen people come to us it is a time when they are really happy. We get a lot of sweet stuff. W e’ve been invited to many ceremonies— some in Hawaii, New Zealand and Costa Rica.” During one ceremony they attended, she says, V Visit S umiche J ewelry at w w w .sum iche.com . Vivace Gallery is located at 207 E. Fifth Ave. in Eugene. For more information call 541'345-8007 or visit www.vivacegaUery.com. SUSAN D etroy is a full-time artist, photographer and writer in Eugene. StatScript Pharmacy is proud to be serv the community of Portland! We provide specialized pharmacy services to peop with chronic health conditions such as: HIV/AIDS, organ transplant, hepatitis and more Free Parking • Coordination and filing of insurance benefits 1215 NW 23rd Avenue, Portland, 5 0 3 .5 2 5 .9 0 9 4 STATSCRIPT PHARMACY C H R O N IM E D 37
