August 2024, Part 2
Art Jewelry Forum is pleased to share the news that members of our community find noteworthy. Is something missing? The success of this compilation of compelling events, news, and items of interest to the jewelry community depends on YOUR participation. If you’re a member of AJF at the Silver level or above, you can add news and ideas to this bi-monthly report by going here. If you aren’t a member, but would like to become one, join AJF here.
Listings gathered with assistance from Carrie Yodanis.
AJF LIVE WITH MARTA COSTA REIS, MONICA GASPAR, AND PATRICIA DOMINGUES
August 28, 2024, 12 p.m. EST (New York City time). Free and open to all. Register here. Our speakers will talk about the international collective exhibition Madrugada – Jewellery and the Politics of Hope, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution that put an end to 48 years of dictatorship in Portugal. The objective of this curatorial exercise was to explore jewelry and the act of adorning the body as a political instrument of restructuring, detail, care, and activism.
EVENTS
We have a dedicated page for them. Go here to see the list.
FEEL LIKE SEEING A JEWELRY SHOW?
Find these listings and many, many more on our dedicated exhibition page:
- Lock ‘n’ Roll: Veronika Fabian, at Four Gallery through August 31 (shown)
- Bettina Speckner: American Diary, at Sienna Patti through September 29
- Joyce J. Scott: Messages, at Flint Institute of Art through December 1
- OUT of the Jewelry Box, at MAD through April 2026
FROM OUR MEMBERS
SERIOUS FUN OPENS SEPTEMBER 1, 2024, AT GRAVERS LANE GALLERY
This exhibition celebrates the fusion of creativity and fine craftsmanship. It showcases new works by contemporary jewelers who combine expert craftsmanship with playful designs. The creations honor the rich history of jewelry while embracing contemporary whimsy. Guest curated by Ellyse Bendillo and Kate Dannenberg. Through October 15, 2024. Info.
BRACELETS, BANGLES AND CUFFS: 1948–2024, AT THE METAL MUSEUM THROUGH NOVEMBER 17, 2024
This exhibition features contemporary bracelets owned by Helen Drutt, an AJF member and a renowned educator, gallery owner, author, patron of the arts, and advocate of modern and contemporary craft. Over 90 examples by international artists examine cultural, political, and personal meanings wrapped around a wearer’s wrist. Drutt adds historic context and scholarly weight to the diverse pieces on display, which illustrate a wide variety of traditional metalsmithing techniques, experimental methods and materials, and contemporary processes. More.
ON VIEW: A COLLECTOR’S JOURNEY: SUSAN GRANT LEWIN AND THE ART JEWELRY WORLD
Preeminent collector Susan Grant Lewin traces her passion for art jewelry back to her work in the 1980s and 90s as a journalist and communications executive. Although not the only exhibition to feature Lewin’s impressive holdings, this is the first to survey her four-decade commitment to this phenomenon. At the Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, FL, through September 14, 2024. Info.
BALTIMORE JEWELRY CENTER PRESENTS INAUGURAL GRADUATE EXHIBITION
This new, annual exhibition highlights the depth and breadth of what’s currently being created in the field by young grads. The artists represent both national and international programs and include Ashley Wingo, Chelsea Nanfelt Rowe, Dorota Wilde, Grace Wallstead, Hana Foo, Jeannette Knigge, John Gyimesi, Mackenzie Pearl Reid, Megan Kerr, Megan Obenaus, Meichan Yuan, Michael Bair, Michal Schwab, Seville Marina Meyn Partida, Vanessa Shum, and Yifei Kong. Through October 6, 2024. Info.
LESLYE ZHANG HAS CREATED A NEW WORK
The piece is a necklace titled Infinite Creatures. See additional views of it here.
BRUCE METCALF’S FIGURE PIN #135 ON VIEW IN BEYOND BRILLIANCE
Beyond Brilliance celebrates the universality of jewelry throughout the ages and across cultures, with highlights from the Boston Museum of Fine Art’s renowned collection on view long term. Figure Pin #135 (1996) is one of the 160 works—selected from 22,000 objects!—in the exhibition. From ancient artifacts to fine jewelry to designs made by contemporary artists, Beyond Brilliance connects objects that span 4,000 years by exploring how jewelry can communicate strong messages about its wearer and exemplify the art and culture of its time. More.
JEWELRY PODCAST: OTHERS & ME
Host Sarah Cossham’s guests include jewelry makers, collectors and researchers, artists, craftspeople, and gallery owners. The podcast is intended to be both a place of inspiration for jewelry enthusiasts and a source of information for anyone just discovering their interest in jewelry. If you’re interested in telling your story, send her an e-mail or a message on Instagram.
BJC FOCUS: IN THE MAKING—OCTOBER 5–6, 2024
The symposium will investigate the role of memory and archiving in the processes artists and makers use to source inspiration, conduct research, create work, and document their projects. Featured speakers: Lamar Gayles, Ana María Jiménez, Maria Konschake, and Manon van Kouswijk. A day of online lectures and conversations will be followed by a day of free workshops in the Baltimore Jewelry Center’s studio, each connected to the symposium theme. The event will culminate with a charge to artists to participate in the BJC’s community challenge, which will engage the community in launching the BJC’s newest initiative: a digital archive capturing our history and evolution. Info.
PASSINGS
SHARON BERMAN PASSED AWAY
A longtime AJF member, traveler, and board member, Berman passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was the producer of the Jewelry Journey Podcast. AJF will publish a full tribute to her soon. Our thoughts go out to her family.
JAN YAGER HAS DIED, SHE WAS 72
Yager received a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing from Western Michigan University in 1974 and an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 1981. Soon after, she established a studio in Philadelphia. In the early 1990s, she started making jewelry out of the crack vials, syringes, bullet casings, and broken auto glass that she found around her North Philadelphia studio as a call to action against the threats to urban life in the US: drug addiction, poverty, racism, and violence. The work was rooted in history, yet “of its time and of its place,” she stated. Her work is in the permanent collections of the V&A; the MFA, Boston; Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum; and MAD, among others. More.
BALTIMORE JEWELER BETTY COOKE DIED AT AGE 100
Her work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art and at the now Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Walters Art Museum held a retrospective in 2021–2022. (We reviewed it here.) Cooke taught at the Maryland Institute College of Art and eventually became department chair. More.
NAVAJO JEWELER JESSE MONONGYA DIED, AGED 71
His fine inlay work—which often depicted the night sky—is world-renowned. At age three, Monongya (sometimes spelled Monongye) was found abandoned. Neither parent could be located. As an adult, he found his father, Preston Monongye, a well-known Hopi silversmith. Monongye wasn’t interested in jewelry-making, but the night before he was to start school to become a heavy equipment operator, a dream—in which his mother told Jesse he would become more famous than his father—inspired him to pursue the craft under his father’s tutelage. John D. Rockefeller, Barry Goldwater, and Sandra Day O’Connor own his work. Museum collections include the Heard, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Cooper-Hewitt, MoMA, and others. More.
OTHER NEWS
BOOK SIGNING FOR NEW BOOK ON BILL SMITH
Author JoAnne Spiller will be at the Jefferson Co. History and Art Center on Saturday, August 31, 2024, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. The center is at 615 W. First Street, Madison, IN, 47250.
J. FRED WOELL ADDED TO DIE NEUE SAMMLUNG’S COLLECTION
Three jewelry pieces—Search for Neverland, A Penny for Your Feelings, and Wingin’ It with the Colonel—were acquired by the Danner Foundation. AJF board member Toni Greenbaum advocated for them with the selection committee.
EXPLORE SCHMUCKMUSEUM PFORZHEIM’S COLLECTION DIGITALLY
View 100 objects from all over the world, both historical and contemporary. Users can put together their own selection of jewelry on topics that inspire them. There is also an emotional barometer to become aware of the feelings that individual pieces evoke. Go here.
A JEWEL TO HONOR AN IRANIAN FOREST
Bahareh Zaman turned a 60-year-old yew branch rotting on the ground into a necklace titled Phoenix. More.
GÉSINE HACKENBERG FEATURED IN NEWEST ISSUE OF UPPERCASE
It’s part of Issue 62, which has an entire section about artists inspired by dinnerplates. More.
LISA WALKER DISCUSSES HER CURRENT EXHIBITION
The videos relate to News from Nowhere, her exhibition with Brendan Huntley at Mornington Peninsula Gallery. Watch here and here.
DR. ARETA WILKINSON INTERVIEWED BY THE SPINOFF
She talks about current projects, her research, her support systems, and what a typical day looks like. More.
EVENTS
SEMINAR—CURATING CRAFT: BODY AS MEASURE: OCTOBER 2, 2024
The seminar, held in Sweden, will explore a range of themes such as wearability, the performative nature of craft and jewellery practices, and the physicality involved in making and wearing. Speakers include Lauren Kalman, matt lambert, Anders Ljungberg, Bella Neyman, Anna Mlasowsky, and Yuka Oyama. Info.
SEATTLE METALS GUILD 30TH ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM: OCTOBER 5, 2024
Online and in-person. Six speakers, including Pat Pruitt. Silent auction. Rare and hard to-find-books from Charon Kransen. Info.
OPPORTUNITIES
SCHMUCK SPECIAL EXHIBITION
The longest-running exhibition of contemporary jewelry work has taken place during the March International Trade Fair every year since 1959. Other than the cost of shipping to Munich, participation in the special show is free of charge. Three people showing in Schmuck 2025 will be awarded the Herbert Hofmann Prize. Deadline: October 1, 2024. Info.
RESIDENCY AT THE FRANÇOISE VAN DE BOSCH FOUNDATION
A jewelry maker from outside the Netherlands will be selected for a three-month working stay May–July 2025. Studio and apartment in Amsterdam provided—courtesy of artist Rian de Jong and her partner, Herman Marres—plus some compensation for expenses. Deadline: September 15, 2024. Info.
$1,000–$5,000 GRANTS FOR TOOLS
The Investing in Artists: Tools & Equipment program supports individual craft artists in purchasing artistic tools, materials, or equipment. Email for info.
CALL FOR WRITING PROPOSALS
Radiant Pavilion invites writers from Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand to propose a piece of writing for publication on their upcoming platform. Deadline: September 6, 2024. Info.
OPEN CALL: KUNSTNERFORBUNDET 2026
Accepting applications from visual artists, craft artists, and duodji practitioners living in or connected to Norway and Sápmi. Deadline: September 1, 2024. Info.
PAGES
BRACELETS, BANGLES & CUFFS: 1948–2024
Produced to commemorate the exhibit of the same name, conceived by renowned educator and patron of the arts Helen Drutt. The book features 90+ examples by international artists that examine cultural, political, and personal meanings wrapped around a wearer’s wrist. More info.
OBJECTS OF AFFECTION, BY REBECCA E. ELLIOTT AND TONI GREENBAUM
A new survey of the life, creative spirit, and career of Robert W. Ebendorf, one of America’s most important artists in the field of found-object jewelry and metalwork. More.
NEW EARRINGS, BY NICOLAS ESTRADA
The latest book in Estrada’s series contains more than 550 photographs featuring the works of 198 jewelers from all over the world. Published by Hoaki.
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