From the start, AJF has always encouraged the appreciation of art jewelry by supporting artists, galleries, and curators through education, critical conversations, grants, and sponsorships. And since the beginning there’s been a special focus on the collector. AJF’s trips, lectures, and talks are designed to give collectors education and exposure to galleries, personal collections, […]
Brooklyn Metal Works (BKMW), in New York, and WALKA Jewelry School, in Chile, are hubs of sorts, bringing jewelers together to learn new skills, show work, and support one another. As such, they’re important members of our jewelry community. In this interview, the founders of both businesses—who are all friends—talk about how they came into
Brooklyn Metal Works and WALKA Jewelry School Read More »
The Metal Museum’s mission has shifted and expanded to accommodate jewelers and metalsmiths alike over the past three decades. Originally established by the National Ornamental and Miscellaneous Metals Association, the museum’s mission was “to display, show and teach the history and achievements made by ornamental metals (not including precious metals) manufacturers and artisans.” Art jewelry
In Conversation with Carissa Hussong Read More »
Meet Jane Bowden, the owner of the newest member gallery here at AJF. She helped found and is now sole owner of Zu design, a gallery for contemporary jewelry located in Adelaide that has been in business for almost 22 years. Along with representing some 130 artists and creating her own designs at the gallery,
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Sarah Thornton is an ethnographer and sociologist of art, known for her bestseller, Seven Days in the Art World, and its sequel, 33 Artists in 3 Acts. For this essay, she interviewed jewelers, gallerists, and collectors with whom she could meet face to face, so the research was confined to people who, like her, live
Wearability and the Power of the Small Art Read More »
Jewelry: The Body Transformed November 12, 2018–February 24, 2019 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York The exhibition Jewelry: The Body Transformed, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an ambitious and comprehensive exploration of the complex relationship between jewelry and bodies throughout recorded history. Featuring 230 works, largely from the Met’s collection, the
In Conversation with Melanie Holcomb, Lead Curator Read More »
Bench jeweler at work in the Alex Sepkus studio during the NYCJW tour in support of 47th Street, photo: Emilija Guobyte-Krzeminski JB Jones and Bella Neyman co-founded NYCJW, the first US-based week to celebrate all forms of jewelry through exhibitions, talks, workshops, and other innovative programs. Jones worked in Los Angeles as a design director
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Launched in 2017 and currently in its second season, Perceived Value is a biweekly podcast produced by contemporary jeweler Sarah Rachel Brown. Brown investigates the economics of surviving as a creative by asking honest questions about how creative people—predominantly craft artists—make their livings and support themselves. The thought of getting “on air” and sharing the
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Irene Belfi recently opened her eponymous jewelry gallery in Milan, Italy. The Italian gallerist has traveled extensively, and she interned at Galerie Marzee before opening her own space. In this interview, we talk about Belfi’s decision to become a gallerist and the inspiration behind her minimal but intriguing gallery interior. Akiko Kurihara, Faces, 2017, necklace,
For many years, Art Jewelry Forum has given a “young or emerging jeweler award.” In 2017, Susan Beech offered to give a grant of $20,000 for a mid-career jewelry artist to pursue a project they would not otherwise have an opportunity to pursue given the challenges of making a living, raising a family, and all
In Conversation with Eija Mustonen and Claudia Schmuckli Read More »
Josephine Winther, Rubyfruits, 2003, necklace, cast faceted rubies in dyed resin, eyelets in 18-karat gold, gold-colored silk thread with passementerie, Danish Arts Foundation, photo: Iben Kaufmann An important exhibition exploring the concept of power in jewelry just took place in Denmark. In honor of the 750th anniversary of castle Koldinghus, The Splendour of Power, curated
In Conversation with Anni Nørskov Mørch Read More »
Based in Norway, Anne Léger is a French jewelry artist who has exhibited her work internationally, in countries such as Germany, Australia, China, and the US. Her meticulously assembled jewelry blends dissimilar materials into cohesive emotional narratives. In this interview, we talk about why thinking in binaries can limit the emotional depth of our world.
