Conferences are strange creatures. They lure you into the depths and then drown you in overstimulation. And this conference had all of the allure – the presence of some of the best thinkers in the field – and all of the overstimulation, tempered somewhat by a farmyard location and a leisurely pace. I have complained […]
Gallery Lulo is located in the lovely small Northern California town of Healdsburg. Karen Gilbert and Anne-Katherine Schjerbeck (Katrina) own and run the gallery, which is just off the main square. They are featuring an artist who we have heard about before, named Meghan Patrice Riley. She won the Rafael Prize at the Society for Contemporary Craft earlier this year and you can read our post about it. Her show at Lulo is titled L’Age D’Or and features her signature fine wire creations. I caught up with co-owner Karen right after her return from Croatia.
Susan Cummins: Karen, can you tell us the story of how you became a jeweler and then a gallery owner? What is your training?
Karen Gilbert: I started as a painting major in school at The California College of the Arts, but while taking a metal class as an elective I fell in love with working with my hands in metal. It was very natural act that felt so comfortable. I was also educated in glass and glass blowing and that has woven itself into my career as well. After school, I had worked as a jewelry designer/artist for years and then it became necessary to make a living at it. At that point, I went from an artistically free period to the necessity of making a living.
Meghan Patrice Riley: L’Age D’Or Read More »
Karen Gilbert and Anne-Katherine Schjerbeck (Katrina) Susan Cummins: Karen, can you tell us the story of how you became a jeweler and then a gallery owner? What is your training? Karen Gilbert: I started as a painting major in school at The California College of the Arts, but while taking a metal class as an
Meghan Patrice Riley: L’Age D’Or Read More »
Fingers Contemporary Jewellery gallery in Auckland, New Zealand, was established in 1973 by a group of young jewelers. It is where the contemporary jewelry scene took shape in that country and the gallery continues to thrive today. Fingers recently joined AJF and we’ve featured the gallery this month in our newsletter, which is a members only feature, but we also wanted to make you aware of Fingers and the artist they are showing right now. I interviewed Alan Preston who was one of the originators of the gallery and Matthew McIntyre-Wilson who is the featured artist this month with a show called Nga Mahanga: The Twins.
Susan Cummins: Is Fingers still a cooperative? How does it work?
Alan Preston: It was always five or six separate businesses operating collectively. One of these is Fingers. We still have five members selling their work through Fingers and we sell around 60+ makers on commission. We employ five people who do the bulk of the work selling and coordinating shows.
What is your role?
Alan Preston: My role is that of a senior partner advising on the phone where necessary and doing the internet banking. Today it was buying the wine for the opening for Matthew McIntyre-Wilson and bidding farewell to Octavia Cook, another jeweler, on Monday.
Matthew McIntyre-Wilson: Nga Mahanga: The Twins Read More »
Portrait of Alan Preston Susan Cummins: Is Fingers still a cooperative? How does it work? Alan Preston: It was always five or six separate businesses operating collectively. One of these is Fingers. We still have five members selling their work through Fingers and we sell around 60+ makers on commission. We employ five people who
Matthew McIntyre-Wilson: Nga Mahanga: The Twins Read More »
Patina Gallery, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a lively and active place. Ivan and Allison Barnett, the owners, are constantly working on how to present their shows in an inspiring environment where their clients can learn about the handmade work they show. This month they are presenting the work of Myung Urso, a Korean artist who has developed a way of working with wire and fabric to make very unique jewelry. After talking to them, I was really impressed with the commitment and creativity they all bring to their chosen lifestyle. See what you think.
Susan Cummins: Ivan and Allison, you are partners in the gallery. Correct? Can you give me some idea about your backgrounds? How did you get into this business?
Myung Urso: Line + Brush Read More »
Exterior view of Patina Gallery, photo: Grey Crawford Susan Cummins: Ivan and Allison, you are partners in the gallery. Correct? Can you give me some idea about your backgrounds? How did you get into this business? Allison Buchsbaum-Barnett: I have a BFA in metalsmithing from Syracuse where I studied with Michael Jerry and Barbara
Myung Urso: Line + Brush Read More »
This essay was first delivered at SOFA NY in April 2012 as an AJF-sponsored talk. The lecture has been modified to meet the format and needs of the AJF website. Margaret De Patta, Untitled Painting, c. 1917-21, gouche on paper, Margaret De Patta Archives, Bielawski Trust, Point Richmond, California Margaret Strong was born in Tacoma,
The Transcendent Jewelry of Margaret De Patta: Vision in Motion Read More »
Rose Watban is the Senior Curator of Applied Art and Design at the National Museums Scotland. She is responsible for European glass, jewelry and contemporary craft. Just at this very moment the museum is featuring a jewelry exhibition called A Sense of Place: New Jewellery from Northern Lands, which includes sixteen jewelers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Scotland. I asked Rose to contribute to our ongoing series called Curator’s Choice and to tell us about how she decided on her favorite piece.
My favorite piece of jewelry
Giovanni Corvaja, Wendy Ramshaw, Gijs Bakker, David Watkins, Fritz Maierhofer, Jan Yager and Kevin Coates are just a few of the important makers represented in National Museums Scotland’s jewelry collection. This amazing collection was mainly acquired by Dr Elizabeth Goring, a colleague and good friend and to whom I am grateful for her generously given help and advice when I began curating the collection.
I thought long and hard about which piece I should choose. There were many candidates and a great many reasons attached to the contenders but in the end, surprisingly, my favorite piece is not one of the seminal works acquired by Liz but a brooch by Lucy Sarneel. I first saw Lucy’s work at Collect, the London Art fair, in 2007 where she was being shown at Galerie Marzee and was I was stuck by both the simplicity of her work and the exquisite craftsmanship. Although I had previously made acquisitions for the collection, I had always discussed them with Liz and how they fitted in with the existing works and our collecting policy. This time I was alone and although I had a gut feeling that Lucy’s work should be in the collection I’m afraid to say that I didn’t have the faith in my own judgment to make a decision and so did not make a purchase.
Jessica Calderwood, Buckstalker Muzzleloader, 2012, Brooch, enamel on copper, sterling silver, recycled patterned copper, stainless steel, 1 x 3.75 inches Susan Cummins: I understand that you feature antique and contemporary jewelry in your gallery and have an interest in both. Do you ever organize exhibitions that combine the antique and contemporary jewelry? If so please
Willemijn de Greef, Halssieraad Touw, Necklace, hemp rope, red ceramic, 800 x 300 x 50 mm, photo: Frans Kup After Limoges, New York and Taipei, the 140 contemporary ceramic ornaments in Un peu de terre sur la peau arrived at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris in March. (After it closes in August, the
Un peu de terre sur la peau; A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry Read More »
Mari Shaw My Favorite Either I am very fickle or very full-hearted, because whatever piece of jewelry I am wearing is my favorite. However fascinated I am by a piece lying in a beautiful case, my experience of the displayed jewelry does not compare with the magic of the one surrounding my neck, attached to
