We currently have a number of events and trips scheduled. Please scroll down to view the entire list.
AJF Live with Helen Drutt
October 16, 2024, 12 p.m. EST (New York City time)
Ticketed event. Additional information to come.
Helen W. Drutt English (Helen Drutt) was executive director and a founding member of the Philadelphia Council of Professional Craftsmen (P.C.P.C., 1967–1974) and the founder/director of her eponymous gallery in Philadelphia (1973–2002), which was among the first galleries in the United States to make a commitment to the modern and contemporary craft movement. In 1973, she developed the first syllabus for a college-level course in the history of the field.
Drutt holds honorary Doctorate of Arts degrees from three universities. She has lectured internationally and developed major exhibitions in the field of craft. In 2002, 800 jewelry and related works from The Helen Williams Drutt Collection permanently entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Drutt has published numerous essays in the field of jewelry, conceived jewelry exhibitions, i.e. Brooching It Diplomatically: A Tribute to Madelaine K. Albright; Challenging the Chatelaine!; and A View from America: Contemporary Jewelry (1973–2003), in Melbourne, Australia; and curated American studio jewelry for the Museo del Gioiello, Vicenza, Italy (2016–2018), among others.
Dedicated to bringing American craft abroad, Drutt curated Gifts from America, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia (2014); Beauty and the Unexpected, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden (2023–2025); and most recently Bracelets, Bangles & Cuffs: 1948-2024, Metal Museum, Memphis, TN, USA.
She is a former trustee of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. (2010–2021) and current trustee of the Bard Graduate Center, New York. She served on the American Board, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Indian and Himalayan Art Committee, Philadelphia Museum of Art (1996–2019); the American Board of Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum in Athens, Greece; and has served on the Peter Dormer Lecture Committee, London, England, since its conception. In 2021, she was appointed as an associate of the Goldsmiths’ Company, London. Her extensive library is held as a vital resource and frequently used by scholars.
AJF in Conversation during NYC Jewelry Week (November 18–24, 2024)
AJF will be in attendance. Events, dates, and times to be announced.
South Africa Craft, Art & Design Tour: March 19–31, 2025
Info here. To attendee, you must be a Silver member of AJF, or above. Registration closes September 19, 2024
A 12-day tour hosted in partnership with the James Renwick Alliance for Craft. See the unsurpassed natural beauty, savor a fusion of local flavors, sample award-winning wines and experience the flourishing art, craft, and design of South Africa. Open a window into South Africa’s creative landscape and dynamic design. Enjoy private access, key collections, and enlightening museums. Connect with rising stars who are breaking the mold and front-runners making their mark.
In Cape Town, enjoy a reception at the home of famed advocate and expert in the field Elbé Coetsee. Tour the Zeitz MOCAA, and meet prominent ceramic artists Andile Dyalvane and Zizipho Poswa at Southern Guild gallery—both located in the V&A Waterfront. In Winelands, visit a priceless personal glass collection, and Dylan Lewis’s sculpture-filled garden set among amongst historic homesteads and unique Cape Dutch architecture. Interact with design creatives from the University of Stellenbosch. In Johannesburg, explore top creative hubs, linger over private meals with standout artisans, delight in Kim Sack’s treasure-trove-filled gallery with hand-crafted objects from all over the continent. In Cradle of Humankind, revel in a high-end creative hub where art meets anthropology. NIROX’s private parkland filled with world-class sculpture is also where AJF award-winner Khanya Mthethwa is showcasing her Indigenous Knowledge.
Captions
1. Helen Drutt at Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain, photo courtesy of Helen Drutt
2. Bracelet by Peter Chang, collection of Helen Drutt, photo courtesy of Helen Drutt
3. Bracelet by Tone Vigeland, collection of Helen Drutt, photo courtesy of Helen Drutt
4. Bracelet by Othmar Zschaler, collection of Helen Drutt, photo courtesy of Helen Drutt
5. AJF members at Esther Brinkmann’s studio during our trip to Switzerland in 2023. (Left to right) Ann McEldowney, Patti Bleicher, Gail Hufjay, Bonnie Levine, and Susan Lewin, photo: Linda Peshkin
6. View of Galerie Noel Guyomarc’h, which we visited during our June 2024 trip to Montreal, photo courtesy of Noel Guyomarc’h
7. AJF members at Atelier Teresa Milheiro during our 2019 trip to Portugal
