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AJF Live: Aaron Decker and Emily Banas on Collecting with Purpose at the RISD Museum

October 23, 2026

How do museum purchases shape collections along with artists’ careers? Join jeweler and enamelist Aaron Decker and Emily Banas, Associate Curator, Decorative Arts and Design at the RISD Museum, for a conversation about the philosophy and practical decisions behind acquiring contemporary jewelry. Drawing on acquisitions Banas has made for the museum, they will explore how purchases build collections, support emerging makers and established artists, and bring new perspectives into museums. Decker will share an artist’s perspective on how these investments provide vital resources to sustain and grow a practice. Together, they will discuss the opportunities and challenges of museum acquisitions and offer insights into building relationships between artists and institutions.

Links given during the event

Emily mentioned an exhibition by Marion Delarue. Info about it: Marion Delarue: Pierre, Plume, Ciseaux (Stone, Feather, Scissors), at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, through January 10, 2027. Delarue was a 2022 AJF Young Artist Award finalist.

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