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International

02/02/2026

Have You Heard

Today in Art Jewelry

By Art Jewelry Forum

February 2026, Part 1

Art Jewelry Forum is pleased to share all jewelry news. If you’re a member of AJF, you may add news and ideas to this bi-monthly report by submitting here. If you aren’t a member, but would like to become one, join AJF here.

Some of the news items below have no accompanying images. AJF regrets not having the staff capacity to request imagery and permissions from non-members of AJF. You may send us a high-res image (1 MB or larger) for a news listing that concerns you by emailing our managing editor at nathalie [at] artjewelryforum [dot] org. We will promptly add it to the corresponding newsbyte.

WILL YOU EXHIBIT, LECTURE, OR HOST AN EVENT IN MUNICH? WE’LL HELP YOU SPREAD THE WORD!
We’re creating a schedule of AJF member events for 2026. The PDF will be available for download on our website. We will promote it via social media. We will also have printed copies at our booth at the Messe. All current AJF members, at any level, will be included. Not sure if you’re a member? Look for your name here. To become a member, click here. Submit here. The submission deadline is 11:59 pm on February 13, 2026.

THE RESONANCE RESIDENCY FUNDRAISER FOR BROOKLN METAL WORKS
Brooklyn Metal Works is fundraising to launch the Resonance Residency, its first residency for jewelry artists. The Resonance Residency will offer artists at every level of their career an opportunity to develop their work and studio practice while enjoying the unique advantages of being in NYC and its contemporary jewelry scene. As part of its efforts, BKMW is fundraising through bundled selections of specialty publications—a generous donation from the personal library of Helen Drutt English, renowned art historian, educator, and founder of Helen Drutt Gallery. Help BKMW reach its first-tier goal of $20,000 to support an initial cohort of three jewelry artists! Get more info, check out the book bundles, and purchase one here. Make open donations here. This project is fiscally sponsored by Art Jewelry Forum.

FEEL LIKE SEEING A JEWELRY SHOW?
Find listings from around the world on our dedicated exhibition page.

EVENTS
We have a dedicated page for them. Go here to see the list.

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

AMONG FRIENDS: AMERICAN AND GERMAN JEWELRY ARTISTS FROM THE HELEN WILLIAMS DRUTT COLLECTION
Attend the opening, a book presentation, and the exhibition itself in Munich, at Galerie Handwerk. Created in close cooperation with Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum. Curated by Barbara Schmidt and Petra Hölscher. The accompanying publication, produced by Arnoldsche Art Publisher, is made possible by the generosity of the Benno und Therese Danner’sche Kunstgewerbestiftung, München. On view March 5–April 11, 2026. More.

REWARDS COME FROM MAHNAZ ISPAHANI BARTOS’S HER LOVE OF RESEARCH
The New York Times published a profile on the jewelry dealer, who specializes in the work of independent makers such as Andrew Grima of England and Charles Loloma, a Hopi artist. Read it here.

MATERIAL WITCHCRAFT: TEREZA SEABRA, CATARINA SILVA, MARTA COSTA REIS
At Platina, February 5–26, 2026. How do objects change the lives of people? How much do they carry in their sometimes humble forms? The most intimate of them, jewelry, clinging to our bodies, creates ripples of meaning. The works of three artists from Lisbon converge in a shared territory where jewelry becomes more than adornment. It becomes a ritual object, a spell, a fragment of the invisible. They meet here as alchemists of form, weaving together memory, desire, and transformation. More.

OBJECTS BEAUTIFUL AT COLLECT 2026, FEBRUARY 26–MARCH 1, SOMERSET HOUSE, LONDON, ROOM S-12
The gallery, led by Yael Reisner, campaigns for beauty and aims to champion the profound and enigmatic work of their represented artists. The artworks, imbued with meaning and driven by ideas, are exquisitely crafted by both established and emerging international artists. In 2025, in the 2nd year of Objects Beautiful, three works exhibited at Collect were acquired by the Auckland Museum, NZ. This year, Objects Beautiful continues to exhibit art-to-wear, focusing on contemporary collectibles, namely art-jewellery and art-textiles. The theme for this year’s exhibition is Eastern Waves, which will showcase art-jewellery nine artists: four South-Koreans, two Japanese and three Taiwanese, alongside Japanese immersed art-textiles by a Tel Avivian artist. Participating artists: Mei Fang Chiang (art- jewellery), Chun Tai Chen (art-jewellery), Nurit David (art-textile), Mari Ishikawa (art-jewellery), Heejoo Kim (art-jewellery), Seonyong Lee (art-jewellery), Kayo Saito (art-jewellery), Hea Lim Shin (art-jewellery), Pei Wu (art-jewellery), Ahmi Yu (art-jewellery).

YOU SEE ANYTHING? YES, WONDERFUL THINGS!
An exhibition dedicated to the extraordinary world of Peter Bauhuis, at Thereza Pedrosa Gallery through February 22, 2026. Through relentless research and mixed-metal fusion, Bauhuis creates works where experimentation, chance, and mastery meet. Each piece is a discovery—for the viewer and for the artist himself. Art jewelry and objects that invite a closer look, to stay curious, and trust that wonderful things are ahead. More.

TANYA CRANE: EMBODIED HISTORIES—EXPLORING THE LEGACY OF AFRICAN JEWELRY
Exhibition at Racine Art Museum, January 21, 2026–January 9, 2027. Responding to her own biracial background, Crane imbues her enamel, metal, and found-object jewelry with reflections on history, resiliency, migration, community, adornment, humanity, identity, family, and heritage. This exhibition features jewelry inspired by historical adornment in RAM’s permanent collection—specifically incised metal bracelets and neckpieces from West Africa that were used as currency. Info.

CALL FOR ENTRY: BKMW’S HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE
To mark the occasion of Brooklyn Metal Works’s 15th anniversary, In The Gallery will present Here, There, and Everywhere, a juried exhibition of jewelry and objects by members of the Brooklyn Metal Works alumni network. All exhibited works will have been made during or after the artist’s time at Brooklyn Metal Works, creating a visualization of the studio as a nexus for the jewelry and metalsmithing community. The exhibition will have both an in-person, online, and print component, as well as public programming. This exhibition will also be featured in Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026, a nationwide semiquincentennial initiative organized by Craft in America showcasing the diversity of the crafts that define the United States. Eligibility: BKMW members, faculty, staff, exhibiting artists—past and present. (Students who are/were not also members are not eligible to submit. Only exhibiting artists included in invitational or juried shows at BKMW are eligible. Participation in Anonymous Brooklyn does not qualify artists for this call). More.

ARE YOU WEARING ALL YOU CAN SUSTAIN?— SIGURD BRONGER
In this solo exhibition, Galerie Door presents a nuptial bond of mathematical precision, the absurd and the quotidian. How Sigurd Bronger turns daily objects and pins into great fun. Galerie Door challenges you: Are you wearing all you can sustain? Through February 21, 2026. More.

VALERIE MITCHELL SHOWS 10 BROOCHES IN CLOSER TO THE HEART
This show, at Yun Gee Park Gallery, in Tucson, AZ, US, will run through May 23, 2026. It features the works of 10 contemporary artists from six countries who have focused their creative attentions for this exhibition to the art of the brooch. Each artist brings a unique perspective to the form, pushing the boundaries of material and design to create unique, contemporary masterpieces of wearable sculpture that truly have a place close to the heart. More.

SEE MARTINA DEMPF’S FIRST EXHIBITION OF 2026
Visit her atelier in Berlin’s der Remise to see Mastering Disaster: Nature and Fiction, with new works created during an artist residency in South Africa last year, and currently in her studio in Greece. Opening: February 6, 2026, 7–9 pm. Runs February 7–28, 2026, Wednesday to Saturday 2–5 pm and by appointment, Fraenkelufer 46/50 Remise im Hof, 10999 Berlin-Kreuzberg.

OPEN CALL: SPARKLE/ECLAT
Exhibition theme: Sparkle/Eclat. Each artist may submit their own vision of this multifaceted subject. Often associated with brilliance, glamour, or the gleam of precious stones, sparkle can also be subtle, conceptual, emotional, or metaphorical. Artists are encouraged to push beyond the obvious and investigate every possible resonance of the word, visible or invisible, literal or symbolic. The exhibition will open during Destination Bijou Cagnes jewelry week (June 4–7, 2026) and continue till September 20, 2026. Each artist may apply with only a single piece. Info.

“THREADS AND BEADS” WORKSHOP, TAUGHT BY SÉBASTIEN CARRÉ
Explore a range of textile techniques, for beginners and advanced alike, June 22–26, 2026, in Varen, France. Participants will discover and learn more about needlework, embroidery, Peyote stitch (weaving), net work, and fringe. They will also experiment with techniques such as crochet and macramé to add volume and texture to their creations. Progressive modules will enable participants to acquire technical skills while encouraging experimentation and exchange. More experienced participants can also use the week as a creative retreat to conceptualize a personal project, exploring different technical solutions to bring it to fruition. More info here, or get full info/application by emailing leseldelamain@gmail.com.

KARIN ROY ANDERSSON | JÜRGEN EICKHOFF | HUVUDSAK – HAUPTSACHE
Translating as “the main thing,” the exhibition will be on view at Projektraum Spektrum February 6–21, 2026. Opening reception on February 6 from 18.00 to 23.00. Address: Gebhardstr. 19, D-76137 Karlsruhe, Germany.

FASHIONING POWER, FASHIONING PEACE EXHIBITION 2026 – WASHINGTON DC
Only one designer and one jewelry artist are selected to create an ensemble to represent each country in the President Woodrow Wilson House (a non-profit) signature event to be held on April 27, 2026. Last year, Lisa M. Berman curated five countries for the show with jewelry featured by Robert Lee Morris, Kiwon Wang, and Andrea Ortiz. This year the number will double with entries being presented on behalf of WAM! Wearable Art Museum. Submissions accepted until February 10, 2026. Send to: Admin@wearableartmuseum.org, add FPFP and country represented on the subject line. More.

TALK: “MEDITATIONS ON GOLD WITH GOLDSMITH & POET MAYA KINI”
Arion Press hosts a craft talk on February 19, 2026, 6:30–8:30 pm in San Francisco’s Bayfront Theatre, Building B, Third Floor. Kini creates jewelry and sculpture and writes about the intersection of craft, language, and the body. The one-hour talk will be followed by a reception. More.

NEWS FROM ALL AROUND

1ST INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT OF JEWELRY CLASSES AND POP-UP EXHIBITION
Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum is teaming up with 40+ jewelry classes from 24 different countries to celebrate the future of young contemporary jewelry. The classes will mastermind and present a pop-up exhibition, presented on one day only and in one place only—at the Pinakothek Der Moderne, entrance hall, March 6, 2026, 7 pm. Be there, or be square!

FINALISTS NAMED FOR DAVID YURMAN GEM AWARDS GRANT
The five finalists, selected from 90 applicants, are Hiba Husayni of Zahn-Z, Jules Kim of Bijules, Johnny Nelson, Dorian Webb, and Lorraine West. Congratulations! The $50,000 grant and mentorship program is in its first year and recognizes an exceptional fine jewelry designer whose star is on the rise. More.

STATE OF FLUX
This exhibition across two sites in Melbourne—Alta Forma and Funaki—features contemporary jewelry, ceramics, and objects. It explores the compelling dialogue between enameling and glaze, two techniques that, when applied to different materials, share a process of transformation through heat. Through February 28, 2026. More.

CHUN CHANG SELECTED AS FRANÇOISE VAN DEN BOSCH FOUNDATION ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Chun Chang (1989, Taiwan) is a sculptor and jewelry artist. In 2025, she completed an MFA in gemstone and jewelry at Hochschule Trier Campus Idar-Oberstein, following a BA in jewelry from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, and a BA in arts and design from the National Taipei University of Education, Taiwan. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Munich’s jewelry week (2025), at SIERAAD Art Fair (2024), and in solo presentations in Taiwan and the Netherlands. Congratulations!

TE PUNA WHAKARĀKEI: JEWELLERY AS STATEMENT
On now at the Auckland Museum, in New Zealand, this exhibition showcases contemporary jewelry as a vital, responsive art form that speaks to the issues shaping our world today. Featuring pieces from the museum’s applied arts collection, the exhibition brings together innovative makers from Aotearoa and beyond. More.

ICE THWARTS TRIAL OF MAN ACCUSED IN $100 MILLION JEWEL HEIST IN US
A 2022 jewel heist described as the largest in US history was brazen: The thieves followed an armored truck from a jewelry show near San Francisco to a rest stop 300 miles south, then made off with $100 million worth of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, gold, and luxury watches. US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement recently deported one of the seven men accused in the crime to Ecuador, so he may not face trial. Bravo, ICE—well played! More.

OPPORTUNITIES

MAKE YOUR PROPOSALS FOR RADIANT PAVILION
Proposals for participating in the 2026 program will be accepted through February 22. The festival takes place in Melbourne, Australia, October 24—November 1, 2026. Info.

APPLY FOR THE 92NY JEWELRY RESIDENCY 2026
The 92NY Jewelry Center Residency is a juried residency for cutting edge, emerging, and established jewelry artists to develop their work for one month in the multifaceted New York City art scene. The residency will provide the opportunity for an international artist with a studio-based practice to develop a new body of work or complete research while engaging with New York’s cultural community. Deadline: April 1, 2026. More.

The opinions stated here do not necessarily express those of AJF.

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