Archive for November, 2005

2005 Chicago: Ruudt Peters

PyrietOn Friday, October 28, 2005, Dutch artist Ruudt Peters entertained attendees at SOFA Chicago with his presentation entitled Philosopher’s Stone. He used imagery and terminology from the medieval practice of alchemy, which attempted to turn base metals into gold.

Ruudt explained he was a member of the Dutch generation of artists who began working in the 1970s, when he and his peers explored a variety of materials to make jewelry, refusing to work with the traditional gold and silver or precious stones. Instead, they used materials like aluminum and rubber to create necklaces and bracelets.
Moonstone

MoonstoneAs Ruudt described his work over the years, he talked about what inspired him, what he then created, and how he presented his work. As he followed this cycle of inspiration, creation, and presentation, he produced an eclectic, varied, and beautiful body of work.

While he creates amazing and wonderful jewelry, he consistently raises the bar (and, perhaps, an eyebrow or two) in the way he presents his work.

For example, at SOFA, Ruudt’s brooches from the series called Azoth (the Philosopher’s stone) — featuring layers of multicolored polyester surrounding a black, oxidized hollow silver core–were presented submerged in individual bowls/tanks of water anchored in tall metal stands, so the viewer could see the work about waist-high. Ruudt noted the water worked as a magnifier of the jewelry. (I didn’t see many hands plunging in without permission, either!)
Thenardiet
This installation was featured at Ornamentum Gallery, located in Hudson, NY, and owned by AJF members Laura Lapachin and her husband Stefan Friedemann.Ruudt acknowledged that he doesn’t present his work in a way that makes it easy for the viewer to touch. He wants you to approach with respect. He showed examples of previous installations where his jewelry was hidden behind gauze netting tents–or, nestled in little pillows under a handing lamp–looking just like a nursery setting (”They’re my babies,” Ruudt smiled.)–or in laboratory vials.

ThenardietWhen I talked with Laura Lapachin about the ingenuity of Ruudt’s presentations, she told me Ruudt was one of the pioneers of this innovative way of presenting work, which has come to be known in the profession, appropriately, as The Dutch Smooth.

And while Ruudt now does use precious materials in his work, he’s likely to hide it–for example, by covering silver with layers of polyester, which rub off as the jewelry is worn, revealing the more precious layer over time. (More metaphors than space to present!)
InstallationIn closing, let’s listen in as Ruudt expresses his own philosophy in a few gem-like sound bites: “Every piece of jewelry conceals what it adorns,” he said. “Jewelry is highly communicative,” he explained, “you have to come close to experience it.” And yet…”If you grasp at things desirously,” he cautioned, “they will retreat.”

Contributed by AJF member Jane Shannon

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2005 New York: Noam Elysahiv

Rectangle NecklaceNoam Elyashiv’s work is pure, intensely modern and elegantly minimal. Each piece, seemingly abstract yet rooted in autobiography, hints at much deeper meaning and in her words, “leaves breathing space for the viewer’s curiosity and personal interpretation.” Recognized as one the best emergent studio jewelers, Elyashiv was AJF’s featured speaker at SOFA NYC 2005.Elyashiv has an unerring eye for simple form and an uncommon appreciation for the creative process — “the constant dialog between the idea, the hand and the object.” She works on many pieces simultaneously and sees the time spent in the studio as a quest that requires constant journeying through the “in-between” of many pieces.

Church NecklaceShe is a working artist and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design. Intensely interested in the creative process; through her work she explores the constant dialog between idea, hand, and object. For her “the entire process is the most creative part of the piece – drawings, photographs, writings are all equally important. The final piece is only one glimpse into a deeper thought.”

Church NecklaceEminent jeweler and jewelry historian David Watkins commenting on her work noted,” The pervading sense is of relaxed restraint, tempered by a joy in plain expression – so much can be achieved by so little. Let the metal work, why push harder? The resonances are completely coherent. The pieces achieve a dry, archeological, out-of-the sand, biblical sonority – simplicity and conviction make all the right connections.”

The characteristics she believes collectors should have are open-mindedness, a developed and unique perspective, and the ability to take creative risks. Her award winning work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the U.S., Europe and Israel and can be seen at Sienna Gallery, Lennox, MA.

Contributed by AJF member Sally von Bargen

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Museums That Collect Art Jewelry

Originally researched and compiled by AJF member Sharon Campbell, the institutions listed below all collect jewelry and show exhibitions of jewelry. Some have documented shows with a catalog and some have provided funding for a show to travel. Each has their own mission statement, artistic vision, jewelry statement, collection policy and goals. Some of this is shared below.

Anchorage Museum of History and Art
121 W. Seventh Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99501
www.anchoragemuseum.org

Arkansas Center for the Arts:
9th & Commerce / MacArthur Park
Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-2137
501.372.4000
www.arkarts.com

The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu
www.tcmhi.org

Cooper-Hewitt
Smithsonian Design Museum
Fifth Avenue at 91st
New York, NY
212.849.8155
www.ndm.si.edu

The Mint Museum
220 N. Tyson St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
704.337.2000
www.mintmuseum.org

The Mint Museum of Craft + Design is dedicated to building a 21st century jewelry collection, an artistic culmination of excellence, innovation, originality, and distinction in jewelry design. This collection will be international in scope. The Mint seeks not to duplicate existing museum collections but rather to assemble a collection that will chronicle innovative conceptual and technical developments. The museum aspires to combine important achievements by senior artists with those of mid-career practitioners working in all sectors of the medium. The Mint plans to be aggressive in acquiring multiple pieces by individual artists to illustrate creative growth across specific artistic careers. The museum intends to seek the widest audience possible for this collection through exhibition, permanent display, electronic and printed media.

Museum of Art and Design
40 W 53rd Avenue
New York, NY 10019
212.956.3535
www.americancraftmuseum.org

The Museum of Art and Design has long been committed to the display and interpretation of contemporary jewelry. When they acquired the Zero Carat Collection, it affirmed the Museum’s commitment to collect contemporary jewelry and chronicle the history of this vital art form as it unfolds. The museum is determined to be a center for the study of twentieth- and twenty-first-century jewelry.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston:
www.mfa.org

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston:
1001 Bissonnet Street
Houston, Texas
713.639.7300
www.mfah.org

Museum of Fine Arts, Philadelphia
www.philamuseum.org

Jewelry from the permanent collection is included on an ongoing rotation in the Craft Corridor of the Museum. The entire collection is listed in the publication: Crafting a Legacy: Contemporary American Crafts in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Pieces by Albert Paley, Jan Yaeger, Bruce Metcalf and Gijs Bakker have been exhibited.

Oakland Museum of California:
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, California 94607
510.238.2200
www.museumca.org

The museum is continually seeking new pieces. They have received donations from private collectors in recent years and have purchased items. They have a strong representation of contemporary jewelry, assembled primarily by Kenneth Trapp for his popular 1995 exhibition, Permanent Collection: Gems: Collecting California’s Jewelry. They are continually working to fill the gaps in their collection. New talent continues to emerge that they want represented. They seek more pieces by the mature artists, whose work are already part of our collection; works that will mark different phases of their careers. Additionally, there are artists like Ken Cory, who worked in California at a critical time in the development of contemporary jewelry and in his own development, whom they want represented.

Palo Alto Cultural Center – Palo Alto, CA
www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/artcenter/
Curator Signe Mayfield has placed jewelry in juxtaposition with mainstream media, as a way to inform the viewer that concepts and formal beauty in jewelry may have equal value.

Racine Museum of Art
441 Main Street
Racine, WI 53401-0187
262.638.8300
www.ramart.org
Jewelry is displayed in the lobby cases of the museum. The Racine Art Museum houses one of the most significant collections of contemporary crafts in North America. It has one of the largest collections of artist-made jewelry of any museum. They will continue collecting artists in depth and accept gifts from collectors and artists. They are working on group and individual artist shows of jewelry.

Renwick Gallery
Smithsonian American Art Museum
1661 Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C.
202.633.2850
www.americanart.si.edu/renwick/index.cfm

Tacoma Art Museum
1701 Pacific Avenue
Tacoma, WA 98402
253.272.4258
www.TacomaArtMuseum.org

The Tacoma Art Museum connects people through art by serving the diverse communities of the Northwest through its collection, exhibitions, and learning programs, emphasizing art and artists of the Northwest. Studio Art Jewelry: This collection emphasizes the contemporary period and includes a major repository of works by Ken Cory. While the collection concentrates on Northwest jewelry artists, important representative works by national artists deemed important to establishing the milieu in which regional artists work will be encouraged.

Toledo Museum of Art:
www.toledomuseum.org/

Sharon Campbell was a founding member of the Art Jewelry Forum. She presently sits on the Jewelry Acquisition Committee and the Collection Committee at the Tacoma Art Museum, and is a trustee on the board of Pratt Fine Arts Center. She lives in Seattle, WA.

2005 Emerging Artist Winner: Sergey Jivetin

NestThis year’s winner, a runner up from last year, Sergey Jivetin is an MFA graduate of SUNY at New Paltz, NY, now living in Brooklyn. His use of manufactured watch hands as modular design elements yields jewelry that is visually complex and layered with meaning.The quality of the work submitted this year was, according to the judges, superb, making their task all the more challenging. Davira Taragin, Director of Exhibitions and Programs, Racine Art Museum; Don Firedlich, past president of the Society of North American Goldsmiths and a studioartist; along with AJF member Mia McEldowney, collector/independent curator worked their way through this year’s entries.

ShieldSergey JivetinIn addition to the award of $2000 for Sergey, the panel also cited two other applicants in the finalist grouping: Anya Pinchuk (D.C.) and Natalya Pinchuk (IL). All have a fresh and personal voice, conceptual sophistication and technical skills.

Random Acts of Jewelry

Translucence Series Brooch