David Spada

David Spada (December 5, 1961 – May 13, 1996) was a jewelry designer in New York City in the 1980s and 1990s, and the creator and marketer of Freedom Rings.[1][2]

David Spada
Born(1961-12-05)December 5, 1961
New Britain, Connecticut
DiedMay 13, 1996(1996-05-13) (aged 34)
New York City
NationalityAmerican
OccupationJewelry designer
Years active1984–1996
Known forFreedom Rings

Early years and education

Spada was born in New Britain, Connecticut and grew up in Berlin, Connecticut. He attended Parsons School of Design in New York City, graduating around 1982. He began making jewelry as a student, and his works were recognized as early as 1984, when a piece made from orange rubber tubing was highlighted in the New York Times.[3]

Career

He eventually opened a boutique, Casa di Spada, in New York's Lower East Side, which sold his jewelry designs, clothing and custom items; Spada's works were also sold through other outlets.[4]

Independently and with his close friend Keith Haring, Spada designed and fabricated several costumes, headdresses and accessories for Grace Jones that were worn by her in performances.[5] Some of these pieces are documented in photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe in which Jones's body was painted by Haring.[6] Spada collaborated with designer Patrick Kelly on a jewelry line for Kelly's 1986 collection.[7] He also worked with Kelly on one of the designer's most famous couture works, a 1986 Josephine Baker-inspired banana skirt and top originally modeled by Pat Cleveland, now in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.[8][9]

Spada designed the jewelry and accessories for the movie Vamp in 1986.[10]

In the 1990s, Spada's designs began to move beyond jewelry and accessories. He created large-scale hanging decorations over the staircase in New York City's Palladium nightclub that the New Yorker described as "lustrous David Spada stalactites."[11] A decorative screen he designed is highlighted in a 1998 book on decorating.[12]

In 1991, Spada developed Freedom Rings, sets of six aluminum rings in colors based on the gay pride flag that he described as symbolizing happiness and representing the diversity of the gay community. He hoped that both straight and gay people would wear the rings as a "universal 'pro-tolerance' statement."[13] They were originally sold as a fundraiser for the 1991 San Francisco gay Freedom Day Parade and quickly became a national trend. In June 1992, several of MTV's on-air hosts wore Freedom Rings in recognition of gay pride month, elevating their visibility.[14] By mid-1992, Spada claimed to have sold 60,000 sets.[15] Also in 1992, Freedom Rings were featured in the first gay-specific Absolut Vodka ad, entitled Absolut Spada.[16]

Spada died of AIDS complications on May 13, 1996.[17]

Material and cultural impact

Spada became especially known for his work in colored anodized aluminum, crafting a wide array of forms from the material, ranging from rings and earrings to clothing and swimwear embellished with aluminum decoration.

References
  1. "Memorials: Spada, David". The New York Times. 13 May 1997.
  2. "David Spada". Hartford Courant. 15 May 1996.
  3. Duka, John (22 May 1984). "Notes on Fashion". The New York Times.
  4. Hofmann, Deborah (19 August 1990). "Versatile Metal Makes a Varied Apparel". The New York Times.
  5. Gruen, John (1992). Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 201. ISBN 9780671781507.
  6. Melcher, David; Cavanagh, Patrick (2010). Bacci, Francesca (ed.). Art and the Senses. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 382. ISBN 9780199230600.
  7. Gross, Michael (1 April 1986). "Notes on Fashion". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  8. "Patrick Kelly: A Retrospective". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  9. "Woman's Ensemble: Bra Top and Banana Skirt". Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  10. Vamp (1986) - IMDb, retrieved 2020-05-18
  11. "Edge of Night Life". The New Yorker. No. 6 January 1992. p. 10. OCLC 320541675.
  12. Gross, Steve; et al. (1998). At Home with the Past. New York: Clarkson Potter. p. 148. ISBN 9780517703717.
  13. Gelder, Lindsy Van (21 June 1992). "Freedom Rings". The New York Times.
  14. "Rings Thing". TV Guide. 40 (4 July 1992): 187. 1992. ISSN 0039-8543. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  15. "Freedom Rings Make Fashion Statement". Orlando Sentinel. 17 July 1992. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  16. "Absolut Spada". GLAAD. 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  17. Brown, Matthew Hay (14 August 1996). "Friends, Family Attend AIDS Service". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
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