Robert Ebendorf works from his home studio in Greenville.

Eighty of his pieces will be on display before moving to three other locations, including the Smithsonian later this year.

Among his work, gallery patrons will find the 1990 piece, Tazza. Comprised of sterling silver and beach glass, the piece resembles an ornate cake plate with its circular foot bejeweled with chunky clear glass found on the beaches of Santa Monica, Calif.

Ebendorf's necklace from a 1992 exhibit "Off the Street, From the Beach," is a collection of colorful plastics found in parking lots, on sidewalks and on boardwalks. Tying in with the marriage of the luminous and lackluster are Ebendorf's pieces incorporating dead animals

The Tazza is one of 80 pieces by Ebendorf on display at the Gallery of Art and Design at N.C. State University through March 9.

— bones, teeth and crab claws mixed with freshwater pearls, 18 karat gold and gems. In the piece "Jaw necklace," Ebendorf embedded pinhead-sized pearls into in the cracked and tartared brown of an animal's jawbone.

In addition to his art, the exhibit includes a replica of Ebendor's desk. The recreated version doesn't stray far from the original, located in the eclectic neighborhood bordering campus. Ebendorf's studio takes up one room of his Library Street home.

Ebendorf describes his work — both in and out of the studio — as an ardent hunt. The process of finding materials and then sodering, filing and shaping them into art is all part of passion process. "If you don't have passion in your life — whether it's cooking, planting seeds, making love — it's a pretty dark journey," he said.

This necklace from the 1992 exhibit "Off the Street, From the Beach," is made from materials found mainly on the beaches of Santa Monica.

Ebendorf earned a bachelor's and master's of fine arts from UK before earning a Fulbright scholarship to study at the State School for Applied Arts and Crafts in Norway. His work has appeared in museum collections worldwide and he has taught in numerous locations in the United States. Ebendorf came to East Carolina University in 1997 as a visiting lecturer and was awarded the Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professorship for East Carolina University in 1999. As part of the position, he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes, including design and metals. He also is a guest lecturer, oversees the guest artist program for ECU and serves on the National Endowment of the Arts panel.

From NC State, "The Jewelry of Robert Ebendorf"exhibit moves to the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock from May 18 to June 22. The Renwick Galley of the Smithsonian Art Museum in Washington D.C. will showcase the exhibit Sept. 12, 2003 to Jan. 19, 2004. The final display will be at the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin from Feb. 15-May 4, 2004.

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