What is the Art Jewelry Forum and Why Should You become a Member?

The Art Jewelry Forum, begun in 1997, is still by many standards a young organization aiming to put the field of contemporary art jewelry on a level playing field with other contemporary art forms such as glass, wood and clay.

We invite you to join others from across the country who share your enthusiasm for contemporary art jewelry and are working to raise the public’s appreciation of this art form.

Why have the Art Jewelry Forum?

The Art Jewelry Forum is a non-profit organization designed to advocate the field of contemporary art jewelry. The field isn’t as big and powerful as other craft media. It’s healthy and vibrant, but it’s small. It needs the support of dedicated collectors, and the attention of curators and writers. It needs a recognized group of advocates who museums feel will support (through loans or bequests of artwork and/or cash donations) their ideas for jewelry exhibitions and acquisitions. It needs channels of communication among all segments of the field, from artists to galleries to buyers/ collectors. We want to promote jewelers, assist galleries and museums, and encourage collectors. The Art Jewelry Forum can do all these things. No other organization can.

We formed the Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) in March 1997 with the following mission: The Art Jewelry Forum is a non-profit organization designed to advocate the field of contemporary art jewelry by promoting education, appreciation and support for contemporary art jewelry.

Our goals are to:

• Present opportunities for members and the public to build their personal knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of art jewelry.
• Advocate and support efforts to bring jewelry artists and other experts in front of groups to talk about their work and the field.
• Garner support and attention for the field from dedicated collectors, curators and writers.
• Provide acknowledgement and financial support to artists entering the field and for exhibitions/publications/acquisitions that will expose art jewelry to a broad audience.
• Form alliances and partnerships with other organizations that have interests in alignment with the AJF membership.

Our growing national membership includes collectors (both the established and those just getting started), museum and jewelry professionals, and many that are simply interested in learning about contemporary art jewelry.

Why become a member?

There aren’t many places where information about contemporary jewelry is presented, and fewer still where information is tailored to enthusiasts rather than jewelry artists.

Spreading the Word

• Fund speakers representing leaders in the art jewelry world at major shows and conferences.
• Underwrite catalogues and exhibitions that help to build a “body of work” about the field.
• Encourage conversations with curators and teachers where they can offer perspectives and insights not readily available elsewhere.

Trips

• Provide unique opportunities to see collections unavailable to the public-at-large
• Offer intimate settings that encourage maximum opportunities for dialogue, learning, and networking
• Open up behind-the-scenes tours of artists’ studios to hear outstanding jewelers talk about their work

Web Site

• Present information about the field and the “art” of collecting
• Offer members opportunity to submit topics for consideration
• Give members-only access to directory
• AJF Connections, an E-newsletter on at least a monthly basis, just to members

Outreach

• Sponsorship of a $2000 juried Emerging Artist Award

Join us today!

All you need to do is click on the Become a Member section to submit your application online.

History

The Art Jewelry Forum Begins in 1997
While the Art Jewelry Forum officially began in March 1997, the first meeting to explore creating it was hosted by Susan Cummins two years earlier during the New Arts Forms exposition in Chicago. (New Art Forms has since evolved into today’s SOFA—the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art expositions held each year in Chicago and New York.)

In 1995, Susan Cummins was an experienced art gallery owner in Mill Valley, CA, where she saw first hand the benefits of associations for collectors in other craft media, such as glass, wood, and ceramics.

Everyone Benefits From Getting Together
“When you get a group of collectors together,” Susan explains, “a lot of good things happen—there’s the camaraderie, of course, plus everyone learns more about contemporary jewelry, and we especially enjoy our trips to view private and museum jewelry collections and meet with artists.”

Today, the Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) includes more than 60 members from throughout the country. The membership includes people who collect, produce, and sell contemporary art jewelry, as well as people who curate jewelry exhibits. AJF’s mission is to advocate the field of contemporary art jewelry by promotion education, appreciation and support for contemporary art jewelry.

In addition to annual trips, AJF activities include:

• Sponsoring an annual Emerging Artist Award, initiated by AJF member Mia McEldowney,
• Underwriting speakers at annual SOFA expositions in New York and Chicago, and
• Donating funds to help museums mount art jewelry exhibitions or produce catalogs or to acquire significant pieces for their collections.

Collectors Initiate the Art Jewelry Forum
Susan Cummins felt it was important that collectors actually start the Art Jewelry Forum rather than initiating it herself, as a gallery owner. So, she invited 12 collectors for brunch in 1995 during New Arts Forms in Chicago and asked well-known jewelry artist Bruce Metcalf to speak to the group about the importance of forming a group like the Art Jewelry Forum.

“The first year I hosted the brunch,” Susan remembers, “no one stepped up to the plate, but the second year, two collectors volunteered to get the group going, and the first event we organized was a trip to New York.”

“Those two brave souls were Barbara Waldman from San Francisco, and Judy Bloomfield, from New York City,” Susan continues. “They began organizing with the help of Sylvia Elsesser, also from the San Francisco area, and for about a year or more, they invited the first members to join from around the country, and they developed the initial mission of the group.”

“Within a few years,” Susan recalls, “Susan Beech, Donna Briskin, and Sharon Campbell took up the tasks of the board of directors. Sharon was the chair for a number of years, and then Donna followed her—both women brought their own special brands of organizational skills to the group, and Susan Beech enthusiastically served as vice president for a number of years.”

Here, Susan Beech, Donna Briskin, and Sharon Campbell talk about their involvement with the Art Jewelry Forum.

Moving From Buying Jewelry to Collecting It
Susan Beech describes that precise moment she moved from being a jewelry buyer to an art jewelry collector. “On an AJF trip to Seattle in conjunction with a SNAG* conference,” Susan remembers, “I saw an invitation to a jewelry show at the William Traver Gallery featuring Nancy Worden’s work. It never would have occurred to me to buy something out of cast Barbie doll arms and quarters spelling out SWINE before that moment, but I fell in love with the piece and bought it. Taking trips with AJF has opened all the possibilities of the art jewelry world to me.”

*SNAG, the Society of North American Goldsmiths, is a professional association for those working with the metal arts.

AJF Started as an Affiliate of the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art
Initially, the Art Jewelry Forum was affiliated with the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art, which gave AJF the benefit of a staff to provide administrative help and also provided a not-for-profit umbrella. As AJF grew into a truly national organization, potential members in other cities viewed the museum affiliation as a bit of an impediment. That’s when AJF member Donna Briskin researched how to create a not-for-profit, and helped AJF set up on its own.

“Personally, I agree our trips are wonderful,” Donna says, “but I’m proudest of the ways we expand interest in contemporary art jewelry—like underwriting speakers at exhibitions and working with museums to help them exhibit and collect art jewelry.”

Helping Museums Exhibit and Collect Art Jewelry
AJF member Sharon Campbell, who lives in Seattle, has been helping the nearby Tacoma Art Museum build its collection of jewelry created in the Pacific Northwest by encouraging jewelers, collectors, and gallery owners in the area to contribute gifts.

One result: the museum’s exhibit, Building Tradition: Gifts in Honor of the Northwest Art Collection, opened May 3, 2003, with 13 gifts, and the museum plans two additional shows with 15 to 20 pieces in each.

Supporting Emerging Artists
Since 1999, AJF has supported emerging artists with a cash award, currently $2,000. Yeon Mi Kang received the first Emerging Artist Award.

Underwriting Speakers and Hearing Artists Describe Their Work
Sharon Campbell regularly attends SOFA in New York and Chicago, as well as conferences sponsored by SNAG.

“At both these venues, the artist lectures are the big draw for me,” Sharon explains. “Hearing artists explain and interpret their work and the motivation behind specific pieces satisfies me on many levels. I define collecting art as living with the spirit of artists.”

Traveling With AJF to See Jewelry Collections, Meet With Artists, Curators, Educators
Traveling with the Art Jewelry Forum is a real treat—you get to:

• talk with artists in their studios and see their work,
• see museum collections and go behind the scenes to view jewelry not currently on display,
• learn about various metals programs at universities and see the work of professors and current students,
• meet interesting and multi-talented AJF members,
• visit collectors in their homes,
• dine extremely well, and
• purchase work from some of the best artists and galleries.

AJF trips have included visitis to Seattle, New York, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Philadelphia, Wisconsin, New Paltz and Hudson, NY/Lenox, MA.(Art Jewelry Forum thanks member Jane Shannon for writing this history for us.)