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
In Conversation with Mia Hall Read More »
Now in its second year, the professional development residency offered at New York City’s 92Y Jewelry Center offers artists the time and space to pursue a self-directed brief. Jonathan Wahl, the director of the center, speaks here about its history, studios, faculty, and open-to-all policy. A practicing artist himself (read an interview about his art work on AJF), Jonathan is knowledgeable about what New York City, as well as this exciting new
J. Fred Woell was a true original and an early American pioneer in making jewelry with meaning, wit, and satire. He’s a fascinating person and dearly beloved. The Maine Masters Project, a film series spotlighting some of Maine’s most eminent artists, asked Richard Kane to put together a film about him, and it has been
In Conversation with Robert Shetterly Read More »
As founder and president of Initiatives in Art and Culture (IAC), Lisa Koenigsberg continuously brings a widely diverse audience together to discuss everything from decorative arts and architecture to fashion and jewelry. These explorations go beyond education or examination. They take a deep dive into cultural meanings, conceptual theories, and even predictions into the future,
Benjamin Lignel in his office, Montreuil, 2016, photo: Cosima Lignel At the end of 2016, Ben Lignel, AJF’s editor for the past four years, will be leaving us. He has had a great run, and we will miss him. Before he goes, I wanted to get his insights and thoughts about what has happened in
This Is Where I Am. Read More »
Beth Dunlop, photo: William Farkas Beth Dunlop is the editor-in-chief of Modern Magazine, which puts out four issues per year. The magazine has recently become a corporate sponsor of AJF and has shown increasing interest in art jewelry as a topic for their articles. Beth is the person who oversees the concept of each issue
In Conversation with Beth Dunlop Read More »
(left) Iris Eichenberg; (right) Cindi Strauss For many years, Art Jewelry Forum has given a “young or emerging jewelry award.” This year, Susan Beech offered to give a grant of $20,000 for a mid-career jewelry project. Susan hopes to highlight those makers who are busy developing their working styles and consumed by the efforts of
In Conversation with Iris Eichenberg and Cindi Strauss Read More »
Collage of the 2016 top-10 finalists, courtesy of Halstead Halstead, a family-run wholesale importer and distributor of jewelry findings, and a corporate sponsor of AJF, just announced the 2016 winner of its yearly award to be Niki Grandics. AJF’s editor takes the opportunity to catch up with company president Hilary Halstead Scott to ask her
Hilary Halstead Scott Read More »
Exhibition view, Conceptual Jewellery, 2011, Mākslas galerija Putti, Rīga, Latvia, photo: Līga Ērkšķe Leaving Colombia to train for a highly successful career in international business before enrolling at the Massana school in Barcelona, Nicolas Estrada brought new life and light to the world of art jewelry through his entrepreneurial endurance, his alliance with the world
In Conversation with Nicolas Estrada Read More »
Current Obsessions founder Marina Elenskaya and managing director Sarah Mesritz, photo: Sam Bynens Current Obsession (CO) is a cross-disciplinary platform and independent magazine with a special interest in contemporary jewelry. CO started off as a blog in 2009. It was managed by Marina Elenskaya (Russia), who at that time was a jewelry student at the
Who Should We Watch? Young Initiators! Read More »
Onecklace, Circle Monogram Initials necklace, 2012, sterling silver, 25 x 25 mm, photo: Onecklace Onecklace specializes in individually made jewelry pieces, hand crafted to customers’ specifications. They launched in 2012, have met with a lot of success, and became a corporate sponsor of AJF this year, for which we are very grateful. The founder and
Jonathan Oz-Ari, CEO of Onecklace Read More »
