Crafting the Future (CTF) is an organization that sharpens the power that community fosters through relationships, shared inner and outward growth, communication, and communing. Exploring a future in action and practice, CTF morphs into the needs required by a given moment and individual. Its versatility is one of the awe-inspiring qualities of Crafting the Future, …
Established by San Francisco-based jewelry collector Susan Beech, the $20,000 Susan Beech Mid-Career Grant has as its objective to recognize a mid-career artist who has made a substantial contribution to the field of art jewelry. Esther Doornbusch was one of two finalists. The jury consisted of grant founder and collector Susan Beech, internationally recognized maker …
Karen Smith is the founder of We Wield the Hammer (WWTH), a program that teaches the fundamentals of metalsmithing using copper, brass, and sterling silver to young girls and women of African descent who might not otherwise consider a career in this field. WWTH offers an opportunity for artistic equity, economic empowerment, and access to …
At the Escuela de Arte de Sevilla, in Spain, metalworking students usually spend early spring working with local workshops to make religious jewels and decorations in preparation for the Holy Week, or Semana Santa. This year was different, as it was for so many around the world. As a result of COVID-19, there were no …
AJF asked this year’s Young Artist Award winner and four finalists to tell us a bit about their backgrounds and their thoughts on the future of the art jewelry field. Their work represents a group of outstanding pieces of contemporary jewelry. This is the first of five interviews with the honorees. MJ Tyson was chosen …
Learn more about Stuttgart’s Arnoldsche Art Publishers, one of the preeminent publishers in the field of jewelry, which specializes in spectacular books on the applied arts. The company’s managing director, Dirk Allgaier, describes how the firm came to exist, its criteria for deciding what book proposals to accept, and the steps that go into taking …
Yvonne Montoya, AJF’s executive director; AJF co-chair Raïssa Bump; AJF board member Bonnie Levine; MJ Tyson; and Mobilia Gallery all sent in photos from New York City Jewelry Week. What fun!
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 …
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 …
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 »
Mia McEldowney was an influential gallerist, curator, and champion of Northwest arts who ran Mia Gallery, in Seattle, WA, from 1984 to 1997.She collected and wore art jewelry; after her death, in 2013, 35 pieces from her collection were bequeathed to Tacoma Art Museum (TAM). This jewelry was featured in the exhibit Well-Worn Narratives: The …
In Conversation with Meg Shiffler and Nancy Worden Read More »
Mia Hall, photo courtesy of Mia Hall The Penland School of Crafts, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, is a scenic retreat fostering focused creativity and exploration through robust class offerings, residencies, the core fellowship program, and exhibitions. All of this requires more than just an idyllic setting. Sustaining a legacy of craft education requires leadership and administrative acumen. In this interview, I have the pleasure of introducing AJF readers to Mia Hall, Penland’s new director. I caught up with …
