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Czech Republic

12/26/2022

AJF’s 2022 Trip to Prague and Vienna

October 7–14, 2022

By Anncha Briggs

Click on the photos to learn about what they show.

We stayed at Hotel Paris Prague. Its NOE restaurant, where we had our welcome dinner, is an architectural gem, with more than a century of history. The original Art Nouveau interior, from 1904, transports you to a completely different world. This was the first time a lot of us had been together since before the pandemic. This group has traveled together for a long time, and strong friendships have formed—it was great to be together again! Photo: Yvonne Montoya

On Saturday, October 8, 2022, we toured the Museum of Applied Arts’s depository—which is closed to the public—with the curator and restorer. We viewed an extensive collection of Czech jewelry, both historical and contemporary. Curator Petra Matejovicova talked about each piece, including the technologies used to create jewelry in the region, starting with unique pieces from the Gothic and Renaissance periods. Here, AJF members view jewelry in the archives, (left to right), curator Petra Matejovicova, Karen Rotenberg, Michele Fox, Sharon Berman, Bonnie Levine, photo: Linda Peshkin

One after another, boxes filled with jewelry were brought out for us, and we were allowed to handle some of them, photo: Linda Peshkin

Jewelry students from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design put on an exhibition of their work just for AJF. This student exhibition had been shown recently at Munich Jewelry Week, and before that at Marzee Gallery, photo: Linda Peshkin

Ann McEldowney talking with one of the students, photo: Linda Peshkin

A student models her work, photo: Linda Peshkin

Artist and department chair Eva Eisler introduced the student show, photo: Linda Peshkin

We were treated to “Czech Jewelry Makers,” a pop-up exhibition by the top makers of art jewelry in the Czech Republic today. It was curated by independent art and jewelry curator Julie Bergmann and held at Showroom Bulb. Bergmann has curated many exhibitions over time, most notably during Munich Jewelry Week each year, photo: Linda Peshkin

(Left to right) Ann Hedges, Anncha Briggs, and Ann McEldowney take a break from viewing the pop-up. Artists on display included Oldrich Sladek, Milan Novacek, Karel Votipka, Adela Wiesenbergova and Markéta Sumova, Hanus Lamr, Simona Kafkova, Martina Singerova, Stanislava Grebenickova, Pavel Opocensky, Sergej Dubovyk, and Karla Olsakova, photo: Linda Peshkin

On Sunday, October 9, 2022, we visited Marketa Silena, a glass jeweler, photo: Yvonne Montoya

At Silena’s studio, (left to right) Carol Green, Bonnie Levine, Karen Rotenberg, and Ann Hedges, photo: Yvonne Montoya

We traveled to Turnov, a historic town in northern Bohemia known as the cradle of Czech jewelry and famous for its expertise with gemstones. It attracted many medieval craftsmen and artisans who produced jewelry out of the local Bohemian garnet, and today it continues to be home to many contemporary craftsmen and jewelers. Turnov’s Museum of Bohemian Paradise, shown here, was founded in the 1880s and specializes in precious stones and stone cutting, photo: Linda Peshkin

Inside the Museum of Bohemian Paradise, photo: Yvonne Montoya

The Museum of Bohemian Paradise’s chief curator, Dr. Miroslav Cogan, led us on a private tour. The international symposium of contemporary jewelry, which he has organized since 1984, was taking place, and we peeked into a workshop. (Left to right) an artist attending the workshop talks with Gail Hufjay, Sara Sant’Ambrogio, and Bonne Levine, photo: Yvonne Montoya

Julia Turner’s work was on display at the symposium (shown here), and she was teaching a workshop. It was a big surprise to run into her. We had just visited her studio in July during our trip to San Francisco! Photo: Yvonne Montoya

Julie Bergmann (at left) was instrumental in planning the Prague leg of the trip, and she helped us navigate a day trip in the city’s countryside to visit the studio of clay jeweler Zdena Roztocilova (right). We could not have done it without her! Photo: Linda Peshkin

Edie Nadler checks out work by clay jeweler Zdena Roztocilova, photo: Linda Peshkin

This area is called Bohemian Paradise because the landscape is heavenly, photo: Yvonne Montoya

Next we traveled farther outside of Prague to Jablonec nad Nisou and visited the studio of Karel Vratislav Novak, a kinetic sculptor and jeweler. (Left to right) Sharon Berman, Ann Hedges, and Novak’s widow, the artist and jeweler Ludmila Sikolova, who gave us a tour of the outdoor sculpture and smaller objects and jewelry inside, photo: Linda Peshkin

On Monday, October 10, 2022, we visited a new gallery, Resonance Gallery, owned by educator and jeweler Petr Vogel (he's at back right). It’s a unique space, with shadow boxes built into the walls on both sides of the gallery. Because of its small size, only half our group could visit, while the other half waited down the street in a coffee shop. We then switched. The exhibition on display, "Heart Matters,” showed work by Karol Weisslechner, a jeweler, architect, scenographer, designer, and head of the jewelry studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, which we later visited in Vienna, photo: Yvonne Montoya

Eva Eisler is a well-known Czech artist whose work is minimal and refined. She has studied and taught at Parsons School of Design, in NYC, and today she is the head of the jewelry department at the Academy of Arts in Prague. She continues to design jewelry, as well as clothing, furniture, and sculpture. In her studio, Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Gail Hufjay, and Sharon Berman view her work, photo: Linda Peshkin

Prague’s Jewish Museum was established in 1906 and abolished in the fall of 1939, following the Nazi occupation. Its collection was taken over by Prague’s Jewish community in 1942 as the Central Jewish Museum. It became a shelter for liturgical objects, books, and archival documents from the defunct Jewish communities until the end of World War II. Today, it consists of six sites and is one of the oldest Jewish museums in Europe. The museum was closed on the day we visited, but Julie Bergmann helped arrange a private tour. It was led by her husband, Martin Smok, a board member of The Jewish Museum and Senior International Program Consultant with the USC Shoah Foundation, photo: Yvonne Montoya

CODA, in the Aria hotel, ranks among Prague's best dining establishments. Every dish is a work of art. The food was excellent–but that view! We made it to the rooftop just before the city lights went out for the night, photo: Linda Peshkin

On Tuesday, October 11, 2022, we traveled to Vienna. Along the way we stopped at Villa Tugendhat, an architecturally significant—and amazing!!—building in Brno. One of the pioneering prototypes of modern architecture in Europe, it was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich. It was built between 1928 and 1930 for Fritz Tugendhat and his wife, Greta, of the wealthy and influential Jewish Tugendhat family. It soon became an icon of modernism, famous for its revolutionary use of space and industrial building materials. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001. The house is a perfect example of less is more. It uses floor to ceiling windows to frame the most beautiful work of art—nature. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the house, photo: Linda Peshkin

During our time in Brno, half of the group toured Villa Tugendhat while the other half visited Jiri Sibor’s atelier, shown here. Then the groups switched, photo: Linda Peshkin

On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, we visited Vienna-based jewelry designer Fritz Maierhofer (on the left), an important pioneer of modern individualized jewelry. Jeweler Margit Hart (right) shares the studio with him, photo: Yvonne Montoya

In the foreground, Margit Hart shows her jewelry with (behind her, left to right) Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Ann Hedges, Bonnie Levine, Edie Nadler, Barbara Berlin, and Linda Peshkin looking on, photo: Yvonne Montoya

Jacqueline Lillie is a French artist and jeweler who works in glass. She stitches thousands of tiny glass beads to create highly technical and exquisite contemporary glass jewelry. (Left to right, with faces showing) Bonnie Levine, Carol Green, Susan Grant Lewin, Jacqueline Lillie, Lillie’s daughter, and Sharon Berman, photo: Linda Peshkin

Below Lillie’s apartment is the Naschmarkt, the oldest and most famous food market in Vienna. In its 120 or so market stalls, you will find fruit, vegetables, baked goods, flowers, sweets and desserts, Austrian wine, honey, and more from local vendors. It also offers many restaurants and cafes where you can sample food from all over the world … and we did! Photo: Linda Peshkin

Next stop was the “Vienna Jewelers” pop-up exhibition curated by Sonja Bischur. (Left to right) Edie Nadler, Bischur, unknown, Ann McEldowney, and Sara Sant’Ambrogio, photo: Yvonne Montoya

“Vienna Jewelers” feaured Bischur’s work, as well as work by four other artists representing the College Jewellery Design Herbststrasse: Susanne Hammer (founder of the college); Konstanze Prechtl (a former student); Unwearable by Güzin (former student); and Elisabeth Drude (a teacher), photo: Linda Peshkin

We also took in Galerie V&V, founded in 1982, photo: Linda Peshkin

We dined at one of Vienna’s top restaurants, Das Loft, on the 18th floor of our hotel, SO/Vienna. The view of the city is phenomenal! Add to that the attentive, laid-back service and cuisine that draws on modern influences—it was a truly special evening, photo: Linda Peshkin

On Thursday, October 13, 2022, we traveled to our next venue via high-speed catamaran on the beautiful Danube River. The Twin City Liner links Vienna, Austria, with Bratislava, Slovakia, photo: Linda Peshkin

The Academy of Fine Arts and Design, in Bratislava, is a modern, fully accredited higher education art school focused on the fine arts, design, architecture, and conservation. We visited the Department of Applied Art, which offers education in three visual-art media: glass, ceramics, and metal. We met off campus at the Statua Gallery, in the Pálffy Palace on Zámocká Street. Students, graduates, and teachers presented their work in the exhibition “Portrait of a Lady” and a pop-up exhibition of students and graduates, photo: Linda Peshkin

Our host was jeweler Professor Karol Weisslechner (right), department chair and studio head. We had seen his work a few days earlier in the exhibition at Prague’s Resonance Gallery. Ann McEldowney (left) purchased one of his pieces, photo: Linda Peshkin

Friday, October 14, 2023, was our last day in Vienna. We had planned to explore the city on foot, since all the venues we were visiting are in close proximity to each other. However, it rained so we grabbed taxis. The Museum of Applied Arts, or MAK, focuses on applied arts in the context of different eras, materials, and disciplines. Design is one of the main features of the MAK. The museum shows furniture, glass, china, silver, and textiles from the Middle Ages to the present day. Our tour of the museum focused on Vienna 1900 and jewelry. Here, Gail Hufjay and Karen Rotenberg stand before a display case, photo: Pei Wu

When we left the MAK it had stopped raining, so we walked the few blocks to the studio of pioneering jewelry and sculpture artist Helfried Kodre. (Left to right) Elias Neuspiel, Kodre, Michael Rotenberg, Ann Hedges, and Pei Wu, photo: Linda Peshkin

After lunch we walked to Galerie Slavik. Pei Wu (left), a long-time AJF volunteer and contract employee, met us in Vienna with her boyfriend, Elias Neuspiel, to spend the day helping us navigate the city. Galerie Slavik represents her work. She’s pictured with Gail Hufjay (right), who purchased one of her necklaces, photo: Linda Peshkin

Petra Zimmermann is an important Viennese jeweler whose work is shown in many galleries and exhibitions throughout Europe and the US. In her studio (left to right) Zimmermann shows her work to Sara Sant’Ambrogio, Ann Hedges, Susan Grant Lewin, and Susan Beech. Ann McEldowney stands behind them, photo: Linda Peshkin. Along with Zimmermann’s work, we also saw work by artists Svenja John and Peter Skubic, as well as Zimmermann’s studio colleagues, Kurt Rudolf and Christian Ganzer, who make sculpture. In addition to her work as an artist, Zimmermann can add “trip planner” to her resumé. The Vienna portion of this trip would not have happened without her help!

Author

Anncha Briggs

Interior Designer, art consultant, curator of art exhibits, jewelry maker and peace activists. My next exhibit for Artists in Arkansas is Textiles for Peace featuring "Knitting, Crocheting, Felting, Weaving, Embroidery and Collage” Opening in April, 2023. Photo courtesy of the author

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