Alexander Blank Portrait, photo: Melanie Isverding Susan Cummins: Alexander, you recently answered some questions for this blog about working with Otto Künzli at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, so I won’t ask you about your academic training, but can you tell us the story of how you became interested in being a jeweler? […]
Alexander Blank: Blank Planet Read More »
As each edition of Schmuck grows in size, so does the frustration of its constituents. Chagrin about the insularity of the field accompanied the AJF team like background music during its four-day reporting extravaganza. Be that as it may, Schmuck 13 (the event) was anything but bearish: 67 exhibitions, 2 book launches, 5 lectures, and 1 party
In her article on the closing of Galerie Louise Smit, jewelry historian Liesbeth den Besten painted a rather unflattering picture of the contemporary jewelry market and what she feels is an unbalanced relationship between galleries and artists. In this unregulated market, den Besten writes, the odds are tipped in favor of galleries, which sometimes make unjustifiable
Artists, galleries and their relationship(s) Read More »
To us—that is, those I imagine to be the general audience associated with texts such as this—the idea that the contemporary jewelry field must still be defined or comprehensively explained continues to be topical, as most people outside our small niche remain unaware that contemporary jewelry even exists and has existed for some time. For
What Is It That You Do Exactly? Read More »
With Otto Künzli’s much-deserved exhibition up at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, Germany, it seems to be a good time to have a deeper look at his work as a professor as well as a maker. Five of his students—Alexander Blank, Attai Chen, Carina Chitsaz-Shoshtary, Melanie Isverding, and Mia Maljojoki have organized a show
Mari Ishikawa, Landscape, 2012, brooch, sterling silver, aluminum, urushi, 100 x 75 x 25 mm, photo : Dirk Eisel Susan Cummins: Can you tell me the story of how you discovered that you wanted to be a jeweler? Mari Ishikawa: I worked as an interior designer in Japan. It was quite interesting, but the range
Mari Ishikawa: Landscape Read More »
Ken Bova, Untitled, 2012, earrings, sterling silver, 23-karat gold leaf, coral, jasper, turquoise, pearl, wood, acrylic, mixed pigment, paper, approximately 50.8 mm long, photo: artist Susan Cummins: Ken, can you tell me the story of how you became a jeweler? Ken Bova: Interestingly (at least to me anyway) while in high school I bought a
Portrait of Barbara Heinrich, photo: Barbara Heinrich Studio Susan Cummins: Barbara, what is your background, and how did you decide to become a jeweler? Barbara Heinrich: I grew up on a vineyard in Germany and always made jewelry from the time I was little. When it was time to decide on a field of study,
Barbara Heinrich: Ribbons of Gold Read More »
Jamie Bennett, Among Etcetera 2, 2012, necklace, enamel, silver, copper, 36 inches long, photo: artist Susan Cummins: Jamie, can you tell me the story of how you became a jeweler? Jamie Bennett: Once I finished undergraduate school with a business degree from The University of Georgia, I began taking art classes there. I was thrilled
Jamie Bennett: Among Etcetera, Jewelry and Drawings Read More »
Mill Valley, California, USA—Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) is accepting applications for the 2013 Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award for an emerging jewelry artist. This is the 14th year the organization is awarding a cash prize to a contemporary artist. The amount of the 2013 award is $7500. The purpose of the Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award for an emerging jeweler is to acknowledge promise, innovation, and individuality in a jeweler’s work and to help advance her career.
Jurors selecting this year’s prizewinner are: 2012 Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award winner Noon Passama; Lindsay Pollock, Editor in Chief of Art in America and a collector of art jewelry; and Ruudt Peters, illustrious vanguard jeweler and professor at Alchimia Contemporary Jewellery School, Florence, Italy.
The Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award competition is open to makers of wearable art jewelry who have completed their academic or professional training at least one year but not more than six years prior to the submission date of the AJF Award application. Applicants must not have had a solo exhibition at a commercial gallery or a museum or have one scheduled. All artwork submitted must have been unsupervised; work from BFA or MFA shows may NOT be submitted.
Award Schedule
• April 1, 2013 Applications may be submitted at www.callforentry.org.
• June 30, 2013 Deadline for application entry.
• September 2013 The winner of this year’s competition and $7500 cash award is announced.
Learn more about the Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award and find complete application guidelines on the website.
Art Jewelry Forum is a nonprofit organization spreading awareness, encouraging appreciation, and expanding insight of art jewelry worldwide since 1997. It is a curious, informed, and diverse community passionately advocating for art jewelry through an ambitious agenda of education, conversation, and support. The Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award was established in 1999. Its first recipient, Yeon-Mi Keong, received the award at the Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in 2000.
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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS Read More »
Mia Maljojoki Susan Cummins: Can you tell me the story of how you became a jeweler, including where you lived and went to school? Mia Maljojoki: In 1996, after working in fashion for several years in Helsinki, Finland, I went to work at a summer camp in western North Carolina, USA. That summer, in the
Mia Maljojoki: Life is juicy – How fragile is your day Read More »
Sally Marsland Susan Cummins: Can you tell me how you came to make jewelry? Sally Marsland: When I was 12 I obsessively drew house plans and elevations on 5-mm graph paper, carefully placing windows and doors and furniture etc. I decided the logical conclusion was to become an architect. I followed this through to university,
Sally Marsland: Everything depends on what we would rather do than change Read More »
