In addition to its Hudson, NY, US, gallery, Ornamentum exhibits regularly at international fairs. It holds the distinction of being the first gallery for jewelry to be accepted as an exhibitor at the prestigious Design Miami fair, as well as at Art Basel, in Switzerland.
Given that Ornamentum is one of the few contemporary jewelry galleries that does not exhibit in Munich but instead focuses on expanding into other venues, AJF was curious to know more about their market-expansion strategy.
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann founded Ornamentum Gallery in 2002, after being educated as jewelers/designers in the US and Germany. They exhibit a dynamic collection of contemporary jewelry as well as related objects and artworks. Their roster of artists includes David Bielander, Aaron Decker, Iris Eichenberg, Veronika Fabian, Rebekah Frank, Karl Fritsch, Sam Gassman, Rebecca Hannon, Ted Noten, Norman Weber, and Petra Zimmerman, among many others.
Ornamentum will be at Design Miami this year, December 3–8, 2024. Karl Fritsch will be present at their booth for the opening days, and for part of a Design Talk on Tuesday, December 3.
Barbara Paris Gifford: How did you first get involved with Design Miami?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Opening Ornamentum, the plan was to be a studio and gallery space, but as it started growing, we realized we enjoyed placing important works and thought this would be a better way to make a mark on the jewelry scene. As we started with the SOFA fairs in New York and Chicago, we still wanted to make a bigger difference. We became aware of the massive scene surrounding Art Basel Miami and thought that this would be of incredible importance to grow the field.
[We] traveled down to visit the different fairs taking place during Miami Art Week and debated whether it would make sense to apply to one of the smaller satellite art fairs or to apply to the large design fair. We felt that in order to make a major impression, it made the most sense to try to join the design fair, although the costs/risks for doing this show were much, much higher than the other options taking place around Miami Art Week. We began a conversation with the fair, and in 2008 were accepted as the first and, for three years, the only jewelry gallery. We have been there consecutively for 17 years straight now, including the scaled-down event that took place in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
Why did you focus on Design Miami?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: There are 40,000 guests that come through Design Miami. It’s insane! It’s nonstop. People who know, at least who are collectors of design and art know, that if you’re exhibiting there, you are on a certain level. Part of our strategy is to exhibit with [other] galleries who are at the highest level so we and the artists we represent are part of that halo.
How does the vetting at Design Miami work?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: There are rules not just for getting in as an exhibitor, but for what you can exhibit, including for the quality, the edition number, if relevant, or concerning provenance. These are all things that, unlike many other fairs, are very strictly regulated.
For us it’s a little bit more difficult because there’s only a couple jewelry experts. We typically have a private consultation with the few there and they give us the stamp of approval. There’s more discussion with the historical pieces we sometimes show because they want to know about originality and the purchase history. As we deal more and more with aftermarket works, this has become a preoccupation for us.
Do you capture audiences for contemporary jewelry that otherwise would go untapped?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: While there is, of course, some overlap with other shows, there is definitely an international audience of people who we would probably never [encounter] otherwise, especially from Mexico, Central and South America, and Europe. We have made new, repeat clients, and most are collectors ([of] art, design, etc.) but it would be a stretch to say that they call themselves collectors of contemporary jewelry, and many only have contact with us at these events. But we’ve made major clients.
So they don’t consider themselves contemporary jewelry collectors?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Not in the way an Art Jewelry Forum member might. They are repeat clients of ours for sure. Some have purchased many jewelry pieces, but also objects and artwork from us. It’s just a different mentality.
In that respect, you really are tapping into a different audience.
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Oh, absolutely.
Do you include other mediums aside from jewelry in your space?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Yes. We have always been interested in works that merge or cross into the worlds of fine art and design in general, and our debut in Miami featured the sculptural works of Ted Noten together with his jewelry. It made sense to expand our roster to include artists making works for the wall, sculptural and functional objects, silversmithing, and furniture. Our presentation of these larger works has led several of our artists to expand their portfolio. While jewelry understanding/appreciation may still be niche, there is a wider audience for a wall hanging or furniture, and this also opens the door to working with architects, designers, and art consultants to place these works in the homes of their clients or in corporate collections.
But even though we show crossover works like Jaydan Moore’s platters and Ted Noten’s handbags, 95% of what we show is jewelry.
We have numerous times dedicated good portions of our [space] to work that we don’t know if or don’t think will sell because we think it should be shown. It could be the thing that brings people in because it’s so outrageous and then they find something that they want to wear. I think it probably works best if the majority of what is there are pieces that are understandable as wearable jewelry even if they’re quite bold.
Who do you take to Miami?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: We have our staples, but we change our presentation every year. You want to look fresh. A couple years ago, we featured Aaron Decker prominently in Miami with [his] chess set as well as jewelry. And then last year it was a smaller presentation with his work among a mixture of artists, and we still had a good response to his pieces. One year we featured David Bielander. He fabricated a huge cardboard crown for us and displayed his cardboard works. This year, we will have a special exhibit of Karl Fritsch. He’s promised us at least 50 brand-new rings. He’s got a following that crosses over.
In thinking of these multi-medium fairs with broad audiences, certain work may not be right that usually does well among the jewelry crowd. Some jewelry artists work very much in a conversation that’s known to the field, concepts that are appreciated by the jewelry world, but may not be so cared about by the rest of the world. I don’t even have someone in my head at the moment, but I know that’s crossed my mind in the past.
How many fairs do you do a year?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Last year we [participated in] Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, so three. The most we’ve ever done in a year was four or five, but that was back in the SOFA years. Right now, we’re kind of in a wait-and-see mode because the mood is uncertain due to it being an election year.
What percentage of your business comes from fairs versus the gallery?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: It probably varies, but there might be years where the sales are highest from the fairs—the dollar values, but not necessarily the earnings because sales at the fairs are balanced by expenses we don’t have in the gallery. Overall, it’s a longer-term outlook. We have people come into the gallery from around the country and around the world who say, “Oh, I’ve seen you in Miami,” or, “Oh, I’ve seen you in Basel, Switzerland.” And so we are in their heads as being something serious, not just a little neighborhood gallery in a little town they happen to go through on a Hudson Valley tour. That’s so cool. It adds validation to what we’re presenting, and it is very good for our artists and the field.
And then there’s things that happen after the fair, the commissions and museum acquisitions. And we’ve had clients who have come in because they’re in the Hudson Valley for a little trip, but they live in Miami. They [bought] gift-size pieces when they came into the gallery, and then they became even better clients in Miami.
So your main reason for doing this is really because you are trying to expand the audience and to expand the number of people who become appreciators of contemporary jewelry?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Yes. We once had a journalist describe us as market makers for the field—that was really nice to hear.
In the end we do this for a combination of reasons. We want to be excited by where we’re at. There’s kind of an adrenaline thing, doing something big, taking a bit of a risk, just doing something new by putting yourself out there and making a splash visually. I mean, it has to be exciting for us. We’re not like normal businesspeople, thinking this or that is what we need to do to earn money. We are artists at our core, and we have to feel it.
Mainly, though, everyone is saying, “Oh my gosh, what are we going to do? The collectors are getting older and there’s not going to be anyone left collecting.” And it seemed to us that many galleries responded to this concern by homing in on the last few collectors. Let’s all go to Munich and try to sell to them. [We] looked at that [option] and we could have done that, too. Staying with the known jewelry fairs would have been a lot less expensive for us. But we wanted to take the leap. There are a lot of places to expand—to Korea, to Dubai, to somewhere else that is fresh. Ultimately, that is what will help the future of the field. Not just mining the last of what is left, but expanding what the field can mean and become.
Munich is great for the field in terms of coming together and seeing collectors, artists, gallerists, etc. But more support needs to be paid to expanding the field beyond the current audience. The general audience at the Messe who’s going there during Schmuck is not interested in jewelry. They are there for autobody repair and lederhosen. The crowd is not an art crowd, and this keeps the jewelry people [among] themselves, with no new audiences feeding [the field]. We must help each other to expand the field and not have it become too insular, to the point it collapses in on itself.
Good observation. I’ve never thought of it that way.
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: What’s funny is people say, “Oh, it’s so great you are doing Miami!” or Basel or LA, or what have you. They are so appreciative and recognize how important it is for the field. But then they ask, as if not realizing what it means to go to these other places, “Will you be in Munich?” So, rather than go visit us and the other galleries making these efforts, they do their shopping in Munich.
It’s notable what you are not saying. You’re not saying that the work is wrong for these fairs. You’re not saying that the jewelry artists don’t belong there. You’re saying that the contemporary jewelry enthusiasts who want to broaden the field are not supporting those efforts, and that’s something that is solvable.
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: If you see yourself as a collector, and you want the value of your collection to increase, you do have to start thinking broadly about what you’re doing, what your money is actually voting for. I say cancel [traveling to] Munich! Just think what would happen if for three years in a row the collectors stopped going to Munich to buy. All the galleries that participate would have to find new avenues to reach buyers. That would go a long way in broadening the field.
The same goes for studio tours and buying directly from the artists. Does this help the artist briefly? Yes, of course. Does it make a gallery want to invest in building their career over the next 20 years? Absolutely not.
Right. Well, one of the reasons AJF is so interested to talk to you is because there is this feeling that what you are doing is meaningful. They want to know if other audiences are interested.
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: They are, but you also need the support of people who are already part of the field in order to keep it going. We want a mix—a presence of international galleries, of historical and contemporary jewelry, in one place. Having the support of the jewelry audience can help make it worthwhile to continue what we are all trying to do, with expenses that are easily 10–15 times the financial risk of exhibiting in Munich.
And now there is Design Miami LA, which you did last year.
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Yes, we really enjoyed it! We had a great time. It was so much fun not having a white box, and the work looked so great. We had some nice sales.
Did you curate it differently than Miami?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Yes, partially due to perceived audience; partially due to the space we exhibited in (literally a closet in a mansion, albeit 600 square feet), using the existing cabinets and shelves in the room; and partially due to keeping the logistical expenses, such as shipping, as low as possible. We entered the event with no expectations.
Will you do it again?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: Ask us after the election and Miami. [Editor’s note: This interview took place at the end of October 2024, close to the US election.] It felt like there was a lot of potential, and our costs were relatively low compared to Miami. If the price [goes] higher, we can’t say yet.
Any last thoughts?
Laura Lapachin and Stefan Friedemann: It’s important at this point of the field’s maturity to make critical observations about how we—including collectors, artists, and galleries—behave, and [to compare that to] the hopes we have, [in order] to align our actions with what we want for the future of the field. And then we need to put money where our mouths are.
Thank you, Stefan and Laura, for what you do, and for being brave to put these important thoughts on the table. They are certainly worthy of healthy debate.
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