My studio is in my home. I live upstairs and I work downstairs. I share my home with more than 500 dead, dried insects as well as my dog, Pumba. I am very happy that I have a cuddly happy living animal amongst all my dead ones. Sometimes I have spiders crawling in my workspace, […]
Marta Mattsson, Stockholm, Sweden Read More »
The Jaw Bone mouthpiece is modeled after the jaw of jeweler Shaun Leane, and was created for Alexander McQueen’s untitled spring/summer collection of 1998 (originally called The Golden Shower until a sponsor found out its pornographic meaning and threatened to back out). Hooks around the ears and inside the mouth are used to fasten
Savage Vanities: Leane versus Kalman Read More »
In 2014, Benjamin Lignel visited Māori jewelry artist Areta Wilkinson in her home, a few weeks before she presented her doctoral research in front of her peers and her kin. This introduction to Areta’s work—and Ben’s growing interest in the customary Māori greenstone figure known as hei tiki—led to the purchase, a few months later,
The Sacramento Public Library has a 3-D printing lab. Photo credit: Jim Wilson/The New York Times On a recent trip to visit family, this writer was privileged to attend the grand opening of a new local library. While reviewing the map to locate where my nephew could meet Curious George in person, my sister-in-law noted
Visit Your Local Jewel-brary Read More »
American sculptor Beverly Pepper speaks to Rhode Island School of Design students at her home in Umbria, Italy. American sculptor Beverly Pepper speaks to Rhode Island School of Design students at her home in Umbria, Italy. One by one the students were asked to introduce themselves by their department and to talk a bit about
Lessons from Beverly Pepper Read More »
This is my workshop, I have a lot of materials for my jewelry that are always placed so I can see them easily. I find if materials are out of eyesight, I won’t use them. I’ve moved workshops quite a lot and I find with every move the organization of materials gets more orderly as I group
Lisa Walker, Wellington, New Zealand Read More »
Elvis Costello and Kelsey Grammar, 04-22-2003 episode of Frasier, image source: NBC Writing about art (or music) is like dancing (or sometimes singing, or occasionally knitting) about architecture, or maybe football, as once quipped either comedian/art collector Steve Martin, or comedian/artist Martin Mull, or maybe musician/comic actor Elvis Costello, or possibly even experimental satirist/Zappa-esque musician
Everyone’s a Critic/Curator/Comedian! Read More »
Georgian Mourning Ring, 1772, sepia ink, hair, crystal, 18-karat gold, white enamel, 16 x 14.5 mm, photo: Erie Basin Does the sentimentality behind antique hair jewelry simply fade away over time? While the original owners of these objects are deceased and we typically do not know whom the locks of hair belonged to, with some
Cut, Washed, and Worn Read More »
Installation view of Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo, Sicily, Italy Museum interior and display design by Carlo Scarpa, 1953 For all their alleged “insularity,” makers in this field are remarkably curious, and invariably compile extensive (mental or actual) visual archives on, well, the world around them. You and I think of it as a way to justify
Lessons from Carlo Scarpa Read More »
This is part of my studio in Fitzroy, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne. It has natural light and looks out on a large ghost gum tree that changes color when the weather changes. The studio is also the front space of my house and, to be fair, my working space extends very often to the kitchen table
Manon van Kouswijk, Melbourne, Australia Read More »
In May of 2015, AJF Executive Director Rebekah Frank went out to Minneapolis to attend the very exciting Superscript seminar organized by Mn Artists and hosted by the Walker Art Center (the rest of us attended the seminar through its live feed). The seminar was of interest to AJF for several reasons. Not only was
Have Pen, Will Report? Read More »
Mill Valley, California, USA–Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) is now accepting submissions for its 15th annual Artist Award. Ambitious contemporary jewelry artists age 35 and under have until November 15, 2015, to apply for this international prize in contemporary art jewelry, which includes $7500 USD for the winner and an exhibition during Schmuck in February 2016
