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
College professors worldwide tear out a thousand metric tons of their own hair each year whenever they see Wikipedia cited as a reference in student term papers. However, Wikipedia still holds the power in today’s society to confer existence itself to all manner of people, places, thoughts, ideas, and things. Wikipedia is the alchemical force
Art Jewelry Forum Is Officially Wikipedia-Real! Read More »
The explosion will not happen today. It is too soon … or too late.[1] Frantz Fanon (1925–1961) was a Martinique-born psychiatrist, writer, and revolutionary. Like other middle-class Martinicans, he received a French education. He fled the island at age 18 and enlisted in the Free French Forces, continuing his service to the end of the
This Summer, I Am Re-reading… Read More »
For me, the summer seems infinite at the start, and inevitably screeches to an end after our annual family camping trip in the first week of August. For the past 15 years, this week tolls the last gasp of the season, making us scramble for a bit more sun, to cram in one more book,
This Summer I Am Going to Read… Read More »
My studio is a very important part of my process of working. I work mainly with stone. In the picture you can see the basic tools for stone, like sawing and grinding machines and other jeweler’s tools. The possibility of working with materials such as stone gives me incredible pleasure. The feeling the material produces
Sara Gackowska, Słupsk, Poland Read More »
“The criminalization of debt, then, was the criminalization of the very basis of human society.” I learned to be a cultural consumer as a teenager by following pop music. Each year, one of my favorite singers or bands would produce a new album. I would pore over the cover and dissect each track. I remember
This Winter I Am Re-reading… Read More »
Social activism and activist art are generally not known for having a “gentle touch”—unless one has a social media presence equal to the Dalai Lama’s, a quiet voice is rarely heard. At the same time, overt, heavy-handed messages addressing the failures of society are rarely experienced as “enjoyable.” Nick Cave’s Soundsuits operate on numerous levels.
Born June 10, 1918, Denver, Colorado Died August 2, 2015, Sausalito, California June Schwarcz, Vessel 593, 1971, electroformed copper foil with plique-à-jour enamel, height 127 x 236 mm, photo M. Lee Fatherree June Schwarcz, one of the masters of contemporary craft, has passed away at the age of 97. June’s enamel work and sculptural copper
In Memory of June Schwarcz Read More »
