We have a number of events planned for this year. Scroll down to see them all.
MUNICH’S JEWELRY WEEK 2025
All events in Munich are free, except for our member dinner.
AJF Speaker Series: Jewelry that Makes You Think
In booth B1.769, our shared booth with Arnoldsche Art Publishers in the Internationale Handwerksmesse, Munich
The presenters in the daily speaker series will explore a range of compelling themes, including sustainability, artistic innovation, cultural representation, and the expanding roles of collectors and makers.
- Speakers on March 12, 2025
11 a.m.: Otto Künzli on “Cracks”
1 p.m.: Liebeth den Besten on “The Dialectics of Lead: The End of C.J. or a New Beginning?”
2 p.m.: Khanya Mthethwa on “Defining a South African Aesthetic in Art Jewelry” - Speakers on March 13, 2025
11 a.m.: Chequita Nahar on “Rethinking Jewellery”
1 p.m.: Ellen Zilioli on “Shalo boli duge”
2 p.m.: Deedie Rose and Sarah Schleuning
3 p.m.: Geraldine Fenn on “Pinning down Butterflies” - Speakers on March 14, 2025
2 p.m.: Christoph Zellweger on “Agency—Urgency”
3 p.m.: matt lambert on “Jewellery Doesn’t Have to be Art”
4 p.m.: Susan Lewin and Ursula Neuman on “Promises Made—Promises Kept?” - Speakers on March 15, 2025
1 p.m.: Jorunn Veiteberg on “Jewellery in a Time of Rearmament”
2 p.m.: Evert Nijland on “Manus & Machina”
3 p.m.: Monica Gaspar and Patricia Domingues on “The End of Curating” - Speakers on March 16, 2025
1 p.m.: Ilaria Ruggiero on “What Is Contemporary in Jewelry?”
2 p.m.: Marta Costa Reis on “Complicit”
3 p.m.: Atty Tantivit on “My Journey through the World of Art Jewelry: Where Do I Go From Here?”
Book presentation: Feast
March 14, 11:30 a.m., Galerie Handwerk, Max-Joseph-Straße 4, 80333 Munich
AJF will present the new book Feast, about American collector Susan Beech. The panel will include Susan Beech, Toni Greenbaum, Barbara Gifford, and Susan Cummins.
2023 Susan Beech Mid-Career Grant winner Khanya Mthethwa
March 15, 10 a.m.–12 p.m, Galerie Handwerk, Max-Joseph-Straße 4, 80333 Munich
A special presentation by the South African jeweler.
Presentation of the winner of the 2025 AJF Solo Exhibition Award
March 15, 4 p.m., on the stage in the Internationale Handwerksmesse, Munich
Established by American jewelry collector Linda Peshkin, this $20,000 grant has as its objective to support the creation of a solo exhibition to advance an artist working in the field of art jewelry. This opportunity was open to artists of any age and nationality. The distinguished jury consisted of Caroline Broadhead (UK), Mike Holmes (US), and Grace Lai (New Zealand/Aotearoa). AJF will reveal who won.
AJF member dinner
March 15, 7 p.m., at Conti Restaurant, Max-Joseph-Straße 5, 80333 Munich
Join us for an unforgettable evening! We return to Conti for this year’s AJF Member Dinner in Munich! Last year’s guests raved about the warm, convivial atmosphere, where the table arrangement made it easy to mingle and connect with fellow jewelry enthusiasts. Conveniently located just across the street from Galerie Handwerk, Conti offers a delightful dining experience with a menu that includes your choice of appetizer, entrée, dessert, and coffee—plus two glasses of wine to toast the occasion.
Cost: US$130. Purchase your seat at the table here.
AJF TRIPS IN 2025
Why You Should Travel with AJF
AJF’s highly curated trips provide an opportunity to travel with like-minded enthusiasts and have access to venues and activities you couldn’t do on your own. Meet new people, experience what’s new and cutting edge in the art jewelry world, and enjoy the cultural scene of the cities we visit. Let us do the planning so you don’t have to. We’re planning a year of exciting travel opportunities, so mark your calendar and start packing!!!
Have you ever wanted to go places and explore jewelry with AJF? Besides the longer trips listed below, we’re also planning shorter day trips, weekend trips, and member meet-ups around the US and overseas. If you’d like to learn more about where AJF will go in 2025 and beyond, let us know of your interest by filling out this form. We hope you’ll travel with AJF in the future!
Both of these exclusive trips are a benefit of membership at the Silver+ level, with priority invitations starting at the Gold+ level. To become a member, join here.
May 12–15, 2025: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Even though you may have been to Santa Fe, you haven’t been to Santa Fe with AJF! This trip will focus not only on contemporary art jewelry but also on the arc of historical and contemporary Native jewelry over the past 150+ years. Learn about this important category of jewelry against the backdrop of Santa Fe, with its legendary history, culture, architecture, art scene, and award-winning cuisine! It promises to be an exciting and rich jewelry and cultural adventure. Join AJF and fellow jewelry enthusiasts on this unique three-and-a-half-day trip to The City Different.
- Registration will open for Gold members on February 7, 2025. That day, we’ll send an email to Gold members only. It will contain a link to the registration page
- If any seats are left, registration will open up to Silver members on February 14, 2025. That day, we’ll send an email to Silver members only. It will contain a link to the registration page
Highlights of the trip include: (subject to change)
- Visits to several galleries featuring contemporary and Native jewelry, including Patina, Shiprock Gallery, and form & concept, where we’ll meet with Native and contemporary artists
- Private tours of exhibitions at museums focused on historical and contemporary Native jewelry, including the Wheelwright Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, and the Millicent Rogers Museum
- Visit the home of an internationally known ceramics collector who is a leading scholar and critic on modern and contemporary ceramics—an experience curated just for AJF
- Spend time with legendary jewelry maker Bob Ebendorf and learn about his long and varied practice
- Meet jeweler, educator, and curator Brian Fleetwood, a citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, on a private tour of The Stories We Carry, the exhibition he curated at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
- Visit the beautiful home and studio of maker Linda Threadgill, whose practice includes jewelry, vessels, and sculpture
- Take a day trip to Taos to the Millicent Rogers Museum. It was established as a memorial to Rogers, whose personal collections of jewelry, weavings, and art form the foundation of its collections
- Tour the Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage site, and explore the Taos Plaza
- Free time to explore Canyon Road and the Railyard Arts District
- And, of course, dine on some terrific Southwestern food!
Base Hotel
You can stay anywhere you choose, but the group will meet here every morning and be dropped off here at the end of the day.
Inn and Spa at Loretto. This 4-star hotel celebrates the authentic Southwestern style and culture of New Mexico, and is the most photographed building in the state! With a premier location in the heart of Santa Fe’s historic Plaza, it has restaurants, a pool, and an award-winning spa.
If you’re planning to join this trip and stay here, consider making a reservation (a refundable one) asap, as there’s a large convention in town just after our trip and they’ll be staying at this hotel.
We can suggest other hotels if you prefer to stay elsewhere. Check in May 11; check out May 16, 2025 (depending on your travel plans).
September 7–10, 2025: Mexico City, Mexico
September 12–14, 2025: Oaxaca City, Mexico
You can join either part of the trip or the whole thing. If you’re joining us for both halves, you’ll have September 11, 2025, to travel between the two cities.
Mexico is a dynamic country where the legacy of ancient civilizations coexists with innovative contemporary art and design, creating a rich and diverse cultural landscape. While the country has a longstanding tradition of jewelry, its contemporary art jewelry scene is young and rapidly evolving. Join AJF as we explore this new and growing community, starting in Mexico City, and then going on to Oaxaca City.
Mexico City is a cultural nucleus where history, art, and innovation converge, offering a uniquely enriching experience. The legacy of ancient civilizations is preserved in such landmarks as the Templo Mayor archaeological site and the National Museum of Anthropology, which houses one of the most significant collections of Mesoamerican artifacts. Its contemporary art scene thrives with renowned venues including art gallery Kurimanzutto and Museo Jumex. As the home of iconic figures like Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Luis Barragán, the city’s artistic and intellectual heritage is palpable in its museums, architecture, and vibrant neighborhoods like Coyoacán, the Centro Histórico, and Condesa.
September 12–14, please join us in Oaxaca City, an elegant colonial city with a deep presence of pre-Columbian history and culture, artisanal mastery, and contemporary art. During our three days in Oaxaca (not long enough!), we’ll focus on pre-Hispanic Mexican jewelry and its rich traditions, as well as on master artisans in the fields of glass, ceramics, and textiles. We’ll also explore the influence of famed Mexican artist and cultural activist Francisco Toledo, whose influence permeates the city and its environs. And the food! Oaxaca is known for its culinary heritage of corn, chiles, chocolate, mole, and, of course, mezcal.
Highlights of the Mexico City trip include: (subject to change)
- Visit iconic museums including the National Museum of Anthropology, Museo Jumex, Casa Luis Barragan, Museo Frida Kahlo, and Museo Anahuacalli, which was designed by Diego Rivera to house his collection of pre-Hispanic pieces and to reflect Mesoamerican architectural influences
- Experience a curated pop-up exhibition showcasing the contemporary art jewelry of established and emerging art jewelers from across Mexico
- Visit the private studios of several jewelry artists
- Visit and meet with students and alumni of the jewelry program at University CENTRO
- Tour Centro Historico, the beating heart of the city, on foot to visit iconic buildings like the art nouveau Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Metropolitan Cathedral, and to see some of Diego Rivera’s most important murals
- Enjoy a performance of the internationally known Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at the beautiful Palacio de Bellas Artes. The troupe has toured widely in the US and 60 other countries
Base Hotel
If you’re planning to join this trip, consider making a reservation (a refundable one) at the base hotel.
JW Marriott Hotel Polanco. This hotel is in the lovely area of Polanco, and it has a pool, gym, restaurant, bar, and mezcal room.
Check in September 6; check out September 11, 2025 (depending on your travel plans).
Highlights of the Oaxaca City trip include: (subject to change)
- Tour downtown Oaxaca City, one of the first Spanish cities in the country, with some of the most beautiful colonial buildings. It’s now a designated UNESCO World Heritage site
- Explore Monte Alban, the most important archaeological site of the Valley of Oaxaca, inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples. Also a UNESCO World Heritage site
- Visit to the Museum of the Cultures of Oaxaca to see one of the museum’s real gems, the “Treasure of Tomb 7,” a cache of delicate jewelry made of gold, precious stones, carved bone, coral, amber, turquoise, and pearls discovered in a Monte Alban tomb
- Visit other important museums such as the Institute of Graphic Arts, the Textile Museum of Oaxaca, and the Museum of Contemporary Art
- Visit the Center for the Arts of San Agustín, aka CASA, the first ecological arts center in Latin America, founded by famed artist Francisco Toledo in 2006 to host art workshops across many disciplines, temporary exhibitions, and musical concerts
- Visit Taller Arte Papel, a paper-making cooperative also founded by Francisco Toledo to teach paper-making techniques to local craftspeople and to provide work. Well-known American jewelry artist Kiff Slemmons later collaborated with the project to create jewelry designs that could be replicated using locally made paper
- Visit the studios of master artisan jewelers who specialize in traditional jewelry-making techniques, as well as other disciplines such as glass, ceramics, and textiles
- Participate in a very special, unique dining experience curated just for AJF: a guided journey that translates pre-Hispanic jewelry concepts into a special meal using local ingredients, research, and unusual techniques! This alone will be worth the trip!
Base Hotel
If you’re planning to join this trip, consider making a reservation (a refundable one) asap. This is Independence Day weekend in Mexico, and hotel availability is extremely limited in Oaxaca.
Hotel Azul. Hotel Azul is a unique boutique hotel in the center of downtown Oaxaca City, with a close connection to the art, culture, design, and gastronomy of the city. Its suites have been designed by four of the most renowned artists of Oaxaca, and the interior design is by one of the nation’s leading designers. We are excited to stay here!
For information about booking a room here, contact Bonnie Levine via info@artjewelryforum.org. Our block of rooms is only available until March 27, 2025.
Become a member at the Gold level for priority invitation to AJF’s trips. Join here.
OTHER PLACES YOU’LL FIND AJF IN 2025
We’ll also have programs at NYCJW25.
Captions
Among the many trips AJF has taken are:
1. Amsterdam and Belgium. In this trip packed with exciting things, the travelers were welcomed into Liesbeth den Besten’s home to see pieces in her extensive collection of ❤️ art jewelry ❤️
2. Montreal. Among many other things, the travelers viewed a selection of jewelry objects in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal/Montreal Fine Arts Museum’s reserves
3. Switzerland. We visited Esther Brinkmann’s studio, as well as many other places
