Lynchburg, Virginia, US—Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) is pleased to announce that the largest art jewelry cash award in the US, the AJF Solo Exhibition Award, has been awarded to the South African artist Geraldine Fenn, a contemporary jeweler who started Tinsel Gallery, in Johannesburg, in 2006.
The grant will support an exhibition in which Fenn will explore power dynamics in the European colonization of Africa by continuing production of her series of narrative pieces that reinterpret historical portrait jewelry in silver and trade beads. In other works planned for the exhibition, Fenn will explore a technique new to her, micromosaic. She will also further expand a collaborative project with a beading collective from Zimbabwe which translates pixelated versions of the historical portrait jewels into woven beaded panels. Fenn will receive a cash grant of $20,000 to produce the project. The exhibition will be shown at Galerie Noel Guyomarc’h, in Montreal, Canada.
Fenn holds bachelor’s degrees in archaeology and classics, and in art history, as well as an MFA. Besides running Tinsel Gallery, she has exhibited her work in Sweden, Brazil, Portugal, and France. Her jewelry has been selected twice for the Schmuck special show—a juried exhibition that takes place once a year during Munich’s jewelry week, the most important event in contemporary art jewelry.
The distinguished jury for the 2025 Solo Exhibition Award consisted of the artist and educator Caroline Broadhead (UK); gallerist and curator Mike Holmes (US); and art historian and curator Grace Lai (NZ).
This grant opportunity was open to artists of any age and nationality. Established by jewelry collector Linda Peshkin, of Scottsdale, AZ, US, the award supports the development and implementation of a solo exhibition that an artist working in the field of art jewelry might not otherwise have the means to undertake.
Linda Peshkin: “I was really thrilled with the number of outstanding applications we received. Since this is the first time this award is being given, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The thought and effort that went into the submissions was really impressive. The jury had a difficult choice—it was very, very close.
“In the end, I am thrilled with the selection of Geraldine as the first winner of this award. Her application was smart, thoughtful, and very personal, with a mix of humor and political commentary. Also, with the show planned for Montreal, it is a great opportunity for more people to experience her work in North America.”
Grace Lai: “Serving as a jury member for this award has been both an honor and a challenge, given the exceptional caliber of submissions. The technical mastery, conceptual depth, and creative vision on display reaffirm the strength and dynamism of contemporary jewelry. Selecting a winner required careful consideration—not only of the work presented but also of the potential and future trajectory that an award like this can help unlock. This recognition offers the recipient a vital platform to develop a focused body of work, engage a wider audience, and contribute meaningfully to the evolving discourse of contemporary jewelry. My heartfelt congratulations to Geraldine Fenn! I am excited to see the realization of the project.”
Mike Holmes: “It is a good sign for our field that the jurying of the applications for the AJF Solo Exhibition Award was so challenging. The ideas and conceptions shown in the artists’ submissions were thoughtful and inspiring. I would have liked for many of them to be realized. Congratulations to the artists who applied for their rigorous and beautiful proposals.”
Caroline Broadhead: “I think we all felt a great reluctance to select only one of the excellent and deserving applicants, and it was truly a difficult final decision. It was a privilege to look at the submissions—excellent, engaging work and an impressive level of ambition, professionalism, and dedication to the subject.”
Geraldine Fenn: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won this grant, and so grateful to AJF and Linda Peshkin for providing me with such an incredible opportunity. It has filled me with a renewed enthusiasm and sense of purpose, imagining all the possibilities! To be given the means to make new work for a solo show—which will include some traveling to learn new skills and engage with other craftspeople—is such a privilege. Thank you, Caroline Broadhead, Grace Lai, and Mike Holmes for selecting me, and Noel Guyomarc’h for agreeing to host the show! I’m really looking forward to exhibiting my work in North America for the first time. In my studio, in Johannesburg, I often feel quite isolated from the rest of the art jewelry world, so this represents a real connection to it in the best possible way.”
About AJF
Art Jewelry Forum is a nonprofit organization spreading awareness and increasing appreciation of art jewelry worldwide since 1997. Its diverse community of artists, collectors, critics, educators, galleries, historians, makers, and writers is united by a passion for art jewelry. AJF advocates for art jewelry through an ambitious agenda of education, conversation, and financial support. It commissions critical writing that sets the standard for excellence in the field, and publishes artjewelryforum.org, an Internet resource for original content on art jewelry.
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