Fall foliage shines for the opening of what we fondly call Leaf Peeper Season here in the Hudson River Valley (the peepers invade by the busload, and I think they find us locals as “colorful” as the trees). All this color provides a wonderful backdrop for writing my first issue of AJFconnection.

Here we go. First, I must thank Sally von Bargen for graciously passing the editor baton and still (thankfully) continuing to help me with my first few issues. We all owe Sally a big round of applause for launching AJFconnection and providing such great content. Here, here!

In this issue of AJFconnection, we:
recap our amazing trip to Houston for the premiere of the Helen Williams Drutt jewelry collection, where we were the “first peepers,”
interview outgoing AJF Board Treasurer Elizabeth Shypertt, co-owner of the Velvet da Vinci gallery in San Francisco,
meet AJF Emerging Artist 2007 winner Andrea Janosik, and
preview SOFA Chicago and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, both early November headliners.

When you have AJF-related news to share, please email it to me (janeshannon@taconic.net) by the 5th day of each month and we’ll get your information into that month’s newsletter (or let you know when it will appear). We aim to distribute AJFconnection during the second or third week of each month. Please also send me your ideas for topics or people you’d like to see featured here.

And now, on with the show!

AJF Members Meet in Houston for an Historic Exhibition

Whatever words you want to use to attempt to describe the 275 pieces of art jewelry from Helen Drutt’s collection on display at the Museum of Fine Art Houston, no words seem to live up to the reality.

Even the professionals were at a loss. “We risk burying this exhibition in a heap of superlatives,” confirms Glenn Adamson, Victoria & Albert Museum, “In any context, this show would be a milestone.” As example, he points to the “contemporary feel and timelessness” of Helen’s jewelry, collected from the 1960s on.

AJF member Cindi Strauss serves as curator for this superlative exhibit, called Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry in the Helen Williams Drutt Collection, which premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) on Friday, September 28.

AJF Houston trip planners Susan Cummins and Sally von Bargen didn’t miss a beat - we were on the go, learning, seeing, doing, dining, exploring, shopping, collecting, and experiencing a variety of wonders in Houston. Here are some highlights:

We honor Pat Rodimer - At dinner on our first night in town, on behalf of all AJF members Sally thanked outgoing AJF board members Elizabeth Shypertt, Rikka Mouw, and Jo Lauria, and gave a special thanks to Pat for her service over the past nine years, seven of which she served as President. Pat has researched, planned, and orchestrated many AJF trips; edited the hard copy newsletter in earlier years; and created our website. She received a Ford and Forlano brooch in recognition of all she’s done for AJF.

AJF gets a first peep, er, peek - Cindi guided us through Helen’s collection the day before the official exhibit opening. After Helen, we were the first to see the completed installation, which dazzles us with its great use of light and the resulting shadows the jewelry creates-the suspension of necklaces and brooches in cases where you can view them from a variety of angles-and in the inventive use of mannequins (which Cindi admits she normally hates) to demonstrate clearly how certain pieces fit on the body. (Like that gorgeous collar of roses with a drop of dew by Gijs Bakker, ah, now I know how to wear it!)

And, we loved it. “It brought tears to my eyes, to see these pieces in person that I had previously only seen in books,” says collector Susan Beech. “I wanted to rip those three gold and plastic rings by Claus Bury right out of the case.”

Helen’s “aha” moment - Cindi explained to us how she organized the exhibit, and she pointed out the specific Stanley Lechtzin brooch that started Helen’s journey (her “aha” moment, as it were).

As you can see from the encyclopedic eight-pound exhibition catalog, a must-have for every serious jewelry collector (available from the MFA Houston at a reduced price of $90, see www.mfah.org, then go to “shop” and then “exhibition catalogs”), Helen’s collection spans 18 countries and numbers more than 700 pieces.

Helen’s collection also offers one common denominator that her dear friend Ann Tucker, curator of photography at MFAH, succinctly clarified for Helen and the rest of us, “Helen, your intelligence shows in every choice you made.”

While this is true, Cindi needed to present Helen’s collection in terms that would help both the knowledgeable and the neophyte understand and appreciate. Here’s how she did just that-the exhibit begins with a chronological overview featuring key works, and then continues by examining three themes in depth:

• narrative impulses,
• the influence of 20th- century art movements on contemporary jewelry,
• andthe role of the body and performance jewelry.

If you miss this exhibit in Houston, it will travel, perhaps to a venue near you - the Renwick (March to June 2008), the Mint, Tacoma, and a possible European venue. It will be back in Houston in time for SNAG’s 2010 conference.

Meeting with Helen - the day before the exhibit opening, we benefited from some private time with Helen and a few of the jewelry artists whose work she has collected: Bruce Metcalf, Peter Chang, Robert and Louise Smit, and Peter Skubic.

Noting the genealogy aspect of Helen’s collection - she bought from artist professors, and then from their students’ MFA exhibits, and beyond - Robert Smit advises, “When you finish the school, you have to kill the teacher.” Bruce Metcalf adds, “When it’s been codified in the academy so that one can teach it, its moment is over.” Peter Chang changes the subject, just slightly, “Just as music is art, so is jewelry.”

We learned new terms - social jewelry is what Helen calls the jewelry made of precious materials worn on mainly formal social occasions. For Helen, an extremely important aspect of her collection stems from the friendships she developed with the artists-they became an extended family. In fact, more than 25 artists arrived from all over the world to celebrate this event with Helen - quite a tribute.

Answers to three questions you desperately want to ask:

Why Houston? How did MFAH get Helen’s collection? The answer is not easy to summarize, but it all started when Helen’s friend Ann Tucker celebrated her 25-year anniversary with the MFAH, and Helen came to Houston for the occasion, and Cindi asked Ann if she could meet Helen. At that point, the MFAH jewelry collection consisted of one piece by Art Smith. So, Cindi’s lunch with Helen was the first step in a long, wonderful journey.

What jewelry did Helen wear to the exhibit opening? A Claus Bury brooch.

Amazingly enough, we didn’t spend all our time at MFAH. We watched the sun set slowly and dramatically at the James Terrell installation at the Quaker’s Live Oak Meeting House - we toured the Project Row Houses and met the Flower Man - and we appreciated the Menil collection as well as jewelry artists Diane Falkenhagen, Sandra Zilker, and Jan Arthur Harrell, who were featured at Goldesberry Gallery, and we benefited from a private tour with curator Francis Marzio of the MFAH’s Glassell Gold Collection.

One of the most memorable, and educational, aspects of the trip was the symposium held before and after the exhibit opening. Speakers included Helen Drutt; curator Cindi Strauss; Glenn Adamson, Victoria & Albert, London; Grace Cochrane, former senior curator, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney; and Sharon Church, studio jeweler and professor, the University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

Did I mention food? No? Well, it would be too cruel for those of you who were not there. Let’s just say we did toast Sharon Campbell for her excellent restaurant choice of T’afia even though she wasn’t there to enjoy it.

It was a trip! We were jockeying with secret service people and the president of Ethiopia to get out of our hotel some mornings, and we certainly caused a stir at some stops with our adornment, and yet it seems that a good time was had by all.

“I went kicking and screaming into a great trip and art jewelry experience,” says Ron Porter of his first AJF trip. “Next time,” he predicts, “I will go peaceably and with enthusiasm!”

Please do come join us next time - peaceably and with enthusiasm, it’s really a great way to travel and learn in good company.

Andrea Janosik Wins AJF Emerging Artist 2007

Andrea Janosik of Brooklyn, New York, received the AJF’s Emerging Artist 2007 Award along with a $2000 cash prize. Nancy Worden headed the judging committee, which also included Harriete Estel Berman and Jean Mandeberg.

Andrea was also honored earlier this year with an Award of Excellence from the American Craft Council, Baltimore, MD.

She earned a BFA in product design/metals and a BA in creative writing from Parsons School of Design, New York, and also studied at the New York Studio School for Sculpture and the Lern Ort Studio in Duesseldorf, Germany.

Born in Slovakia, Andrea lived in Zambia and Germany before coming to the United States to complete her studies. Her work has been featured in the Schmuck 2006 exhibit in Munich, Germany, and at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York.

“My fascination with combining leather and silver has only grown over the years,” Andrea says. “Their contrasting qualities-soft and hard, pliant and sturdy, colorful and achromatic-create challenges, but also endless possibilities. Squeezing, stacking, pulling and rolling one into the other lets me explore and discover yet new ways of holding them together.”

AJF Sponsors Gerd Rothmann at SOFA

At SOFA Chicago on Friday, November 2, from 11 a.m. to noon, in Room 309, AJF will introduce our 2007 Emerging Artist Winner Andrea Janosik followed by our featured speaker Dutch artist Gerd Rothmann, whose talk is entitled The Space Between Thumb and Forefinger. Gerd’s work will be presented at SOFA by Ornamentum and Andrea’s work will be presented by Charon Kransen Arts. For more information about SOFA. Visit SOFA online using the “Quick Link” to the right.

AJF will also host a wine reception at SOFA from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday, November 2, for AJF members and their guests.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Sponsors Craft Show

From November 8 to 11, the Philadelphia Museum of Art hosts their 31st annual Craft Show at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Featuring 195 craft artists (53 new to the show this year) selected from 1,380 applicants, plus 26 guest artists from Canada, you’ll find at least 45 booths featuring art jewelry. See www.pmacraftshow.org for more details, sample work from each artist, and information about the craft show auction.

In the Forum

A NOTE FROM HELEN
Dear AJF members,
I want you to know how very much I appreciated your attendance at the opening of the exhibition - it was quite special. Your enthusiasm was also deeply appreciated. I loved seeing the next chapter of our field on your bodies. Each day revealed your acquisitions. The time to acquire Lechtzin, Skoogfors, Paley, Reiling, Bury and Junger may not be as accessible - but there is a world of artists for you to “conquer” - come to Washington March 13th when Ornament as Art opens at the Renwick - surprises awaits you!
Fondly, Helen

ELIZABETH’S PERSPECTIVE

“You can gain or lose weight, but your shoes and jewelry are always going to fit”

Co-owner of Velvet da Vinci gallery in San Francisco (the name was inspired by an old Perry Mason TV episode) and outgoing AJF Treasurer, Elizabeth Shypertt recently answered some questions posed by Sally von Bargen. As always, Elizabeth’s point-of-view is insightful and wonderfully light hearted.

Sally: How did you learn about AJF and why did you join?

Elizabeth: Fellow member Carol Windsor took me to an early AJF event at California College of Art and Craft to see the Ken Cory exhibit. I met a few fellow members who I liked very much and thought the organization was on the right path.

Sally:What is the most important acquisition you have made?
Elizabeth: I recently bought a piece by Ramon Puig Cuyas. He told me he considered this his “master” piece. It is a large brooch, which I don’t wear, but have on my bedroom wall. I think this is a wonderful piece by a master artist at the top of his field. Just as with fine art, this doesn’t mean Ramon won’t do another even …

As summer ends and autumn begins, we hope you are enjoying nature’s seasonal transition. This newsletter brings transition news for AJF with announcement of our new 2008 Board of Directors.

We finish our two-part interview with the Boston MFA’s Kelly L’Ecuyer, and renew our interviews with current Board members. In May we interviewed Jo Lauria focusing on her work as Curator for “Craft in America” exhibition. This month we put Rika Mouw “in the forum”. AJF thrives because of the creative energy of our board members, in the months ahead we’ll hear from Elizabeth Shypertt and Pat Rodimer.

Another transition to note, next month Jane Shannon will assume responsibility for “AJFconnection”. Jane is a world traveler, a terrific writer, and a long-time member of AJF. Surely, Jane will catch the typos I regularly missed, correctly spell artists names I flubbed and enjoy doing this newsletter as much as I did, hopefully more, certainly better. Thank you Jane for raising your hand to volunteer. Sally von Bargen

One Board Transitions to Another

AJF President Pat Rodimer announced the approval of the new 2008 Board of Directors. Susan Cummins, a founding member of AJF will serve as President, the Treasurer position is to be filled by Sally von Bargen, Susan Kempin becomes Secretary, and communication duties will be handled by Jane Shannon.

The incoming board assumes responsibility in January. Pat, who has served as AJF president for the past 7 years, commented: “We look forward to exciting new plans when the new board takes over, until then we’ll work together on a smooth transition.” Outgoing board members Pat Rodimer, Elizabeth Shypertt, Jo Lauria and Rika Mouw have done an masterful job and leave AJF better for their service, job well done.

Catch it at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, features “One of a Kind: The Studio Craft Movement,” through Dec. 2, 2007. The exhibit, shown in the Modern Art, Design, and Architecture Gallery on the first floor, showcases approximately 50 works from the Met’s collection, including furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewelry, and fiber. The Met’s calendar bulletin notes the studio craft movement developed in the U.S. in the post-World War II years. The bulletin continues, “By the 1970s in both Europe and the United States, a shifting political climate and an ‘anything goes’ art scene encouraged a new freedom in artistic expression. Artists working with traditional materials began to experiment with new materials and techniques, producing bold, abstract, and sculptural art.”

Our Conversation with Kelly L’Ecuyer - Part II

We conclude Susan Cummins’ conversation with MFA Boston curator, Kelly L’Ecuyer in this newsletter.

Susan: What are your plans for the Farago collection in the future?

Kelly: The exhibition was organized quickly, in museum terms, opening just about a year after we acquired the collection. We are in the unusual position of opening the exhibition sooner and publishing the catalogue later, so that we have more time to do research for the catalogue, which will be published in 2010. The book will place this jewelry in a broader art historical context and trace the history of studio jewelry in the twentieth century.

In the meantime, the MFA’s entire collection, including the Farago jewelry collection, is accessible on the Museum’s website, www.mfa.org. You can go to Collections/Advanced Search and put in an artist’s last name to see our cataloging records at any time. Not all the images are available yet, but they are published on the web as quickly as objects are photographed and our rights and licensing department can get permission from the artists and copyright-holders.

The jewelry from the collection will be displayed in the future in several different ways. The MFA is building a new American Wing, to open in 2010, and selections of modernist jewelry will appear in our gallery of art of the 1940s and 1950s. This will put the work of jewelers Betty Cooke, Paul Lobel, Art Smith, and others in a gallery with abstract paintings and sculpture, Eames chairs, and other art and design from the period.

An exciting development occurred last fall, several months after we acquired the Farago collection, when one of our trustees (AJF member Susan Kaplan) endowed a jewelry curatorship. Yvonne Markowitz, who has been with the MFA for many years in the ancient Egyptian department, was appointed curator of jewelry. She has general oversight of jewelry across all departments of the Museum, and in 2011, when the MFA’s west wing is renovated, she will install a new gallery devoted to jewelry from all cultures and time periods. Some of the Farago collection will be featured in that gallery along with jewelry from other areas of our collection.

With the current exhibition and its extensive brochure, our website, the Farago lecture series, and the future gallery installations, we feel that we are presenting studio jewelry to the widest possible audience — and that is what Daphne has wanted all along.

Thoughts on Wearing and Giving

This year AJF took a bold step. We offered our members two trips instead of one, first to Boston for the opening of the Farago collection at the Boston MFA; and this month 25 AJF members will gather in Houston for the premier of the Helen Drutt collection at the MFAH. Organizing one trip is a complex endeavor; organizing two in one year verges on insane. What would have us go to such effort? The fundamental answer, simply put is, “the giving of gifts.” Helen Drutt and Daphne Farago gave gifts, and we honor them and the jewelry art form through our visits to the museums.

Many of us may not have the means or inclination to collect on the scale these gifts represent. Yet, there are many other ways to give. As you think about your collection or ways you might give consider the many options listed below. Due to the sometimes complex technical nature of tax law or estate planning, you should explore the intricacies of these types of gifts with your attorney and tax advisor. Our list is designed to stimulate your creativity by revealing the possibilities.

Grants and Sponsorships
Gifts of Life Insurance
Gifts of Real Estate
Gifts of Retirement Funds
Charitable Trusts
Bequests of Works of Art
Gifts of Cash

Lastly, consider the gift of your time: take a curator out to lunch, become a docent specializing in jewelry exhibitions or share your collection with students at a local college art department. The ways of giving time are endless. Your time is the most precious gift of all.

A Little Something to Think About

“The combination between jewelry and art is not always obvious. Jewelry means service to a defined function, realized in a suitable material, with extremely good taste. Art is first an expression, and cannot be motivated only by aesthetics. In art story and plot are interwoven with something hiding. But a jewelry piece can, like art, be narrative, abstract, socially moving or rebellious, reactionary or simply tender. Real jewelry is real art. The jewelry wearer is expected to think about the vision of the artists and furthermore propagate it.”

Jan Walgrave, quoted from “20 Jahre — Galerie Spektrum” 2001

In the Forum: Rika Mouw

Homer Alaska is a fishing and art community near Bristol Bay. The vast and breathtakingly beautiful Bristol Bay ecosystem is home to immense fisheries, the world’s largest concentration of brown bears, massive herds of caribou and countless species of migratory birds. Homer is where artist and conservation advocate Rika Mouw lives. Rika makes and collects jewelry. As Rika ends her term on the AJF board, we invited her to share with us her thoughts about collecting and images of her favorite pieces. Rika was interviewed, via email by Sally von Bargen

Sally: Rika, how did you learn about AJF and what motivated you to join?

Rika: I first learned about AJF in 1999 through a notice in Ornament Magazine about an upcoming art jewelry collector’s trip in San Francisco. I contacted then president, Sharon Campbell, about the trip. It was exciting to learn there was actually a group of people who sought out art jewelry, was serious about learning more about it and collecting it. I felt like the trip was planned just for me.Being a member of AJF has been enormously enriching for me on many levels. I have gained meaningful friendships interesting, wonderful people who share my passion. The yearly trips have broadened my experience of the art jewelry field and taught me more than I could have imagined. Not only about art jewelry, but its support network of universities, museums, galleries, collectors and dealers. I have been exposed to art in different parts of the world that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

Sally: Art Jewelry lovers often have an “ah-ha moment”, a specific recollection about how they discovered it, will you share yours?

Rika: I first became aware of art jewelry in the mid 80’s when I attended a New Art Forms Expo before it became SOFA. I was drawn to the Susan Cummins Gallery booth where I experienced an ‘ah-ha’ moment right then and there. I remember seeing Pat Flynn’s work with his use of rusted steel set with diamonds. From that experience I viewed jewelry as an art form and have been drawn to it ever since. . Thank you Susan for being there and opening up this world to me!

Sally: What do you enjoy most about art jewelry?

Rika: I am a hopeless art addict. What I love about art jewelry is that its scale allows me to wear it as well as display more of it than most other art forms. I love that I can wear art and make a statement. I often wear particular pieces for specific occasions in order to create dialog. I particularly enjoy that art jewelry has a ‘voice’ and I love using it in that sense.

Sally: Tell us about your collection and how it developed.

As a maker, I started purchasing old ethnic jewelry and rare beads about 20 years ago. Since then I’ve purchased pieces that caught my design sense, it never occurred to me to ‘collect’ per se. During my first AJF trip in 1999 the idea of ‘collecting’ materialized for me. My collection has developed and changed through my exposure by the AJF trips over the years. It has grown quite a bit and somewhat eclectically. It is a collection that is now primarily contemporary work that includes pieces by well recognized artists as well as emerging from all over the world. I am intrigued with the inventive uses of organic materials so I have many pieces made with wood, paper, plant materials and fibers. Most pieces have a ‘voice’ that resonates with me. Others works are pieces made by artists I know and admire, making them important to me to have in my possession. It is not a particularly large collection, perhaps 50 pieces, but each one has special meaning to me.

Sally: Do have a long term plan for your collection?

Rika: Because my collection is as eclectic as it is, I do not see it as one that will stay intact. Several pieces I intend to be given to appropriate jewelry collecting museums. Other pieces will likely go to other private collections. Several pieces are promised to friends.

Sally: Last question, any advice for other art jewelry collectors?

As with anything I think the more informed you are about your subject matter, the better choices you will make and the more you will gain out of the experience. Collecting is educational and it is truly enjoyable. It is a journey actually. No matter the size of one’s collection I think it is a good idea to keep as much information about each piece as possible. A file with this information will always be helpful either to yourself or whomever your pieces will be passed on to. Have fun with it. I just have to say that for any art jewelry collector, the Art Jewelry Forum is a great place from which to learn, share and interact with others who have this passion. Art jewelry ’speaks’ and I guess I love the sense of voice it projects, wearing it connects me with the maker and my ‘art tribe’.

Among the photos Rika sent for this newsletter was this photograph of a cherished memory. Rika told me, “the picture was taken in March of 2005 when Nancy had her fabulous solo show at the William Travers Gallery. …

Not long ago we asked members to suggest topics for our the newsletter. You said that you wanted to learn more about building a collection, or how to give a museum gift, or planning for the disposition of an entire collection or a single valuable piece. There seems no better time than the present to explore these topics as this year we’ve seen two of the foremost contemporary jewelry collections gifted to major museums.

In this newsletter we explore museum gifts and loans. Next month we’ll shift our focus to bequests and estate planning. There is a lot of ground to cover, enjoy.

AJF Business News

Recommendations to Board. The AJF Nominating Committee has completed polling the membership and has presented the current Board with a proposed slate of new officers. At the August meeting the Board will officially accept the slate and will announce new officers in the September newsletter.

Volunteers Welcome. Here’s your chance to help with our many programs. If you are interested in increasing your AJF involvement, please let us know. There are opportunities (large and small). It is easy to learn more, just send an email using the “Quick Link” and we’ll be in touch to explore the possibilities.

25 Members Bound for Houston Our trip to Houston for the exhibition opening of the Helen Williams Drutt collection sold out within days of the announcement. It is the largest group of members ever to participate in an AJF trip. For those of you not making the trip rest assured we will publish a trip overview in the October newsletter.

The Art of Collecting

There are as many definitions of a collection as there are collectors. When noted art collector and philanthropist Eugene Thaw was asked how he would define the art of collecting, he answered with this beautiful explanation: “It’s about making some sense out of a group (large or small) of related objects that you’ve accumulated and having each one reinforce the others. You should always be reaching for better examples than what you have, and you should find out what you’re missing, too, so you can fill in the blank spaces. It’s an intellectual activity. I collect to learn and when I feel I have learned my way around a field enough to have a well-rounded collection I give it away — to museums. I no longer need to physically possess works of art, I have them in my mind’s eye.”

The universal truth seems to be that collectors complement their passion with intelligence to build a meaningful collection. Here are suggestions that may prove helpful as you build your collection:
Visit as many galleries as you can, gallery owners can be helpful guides.
Join local art museums and introduce yourself to curators. Share your collecting interests with them.
AJF offers opportunities to talk to other collectors and find out what they know and what they have learned about collecting.
Read! Read anything you can find that relates to your collecting interests - art, art history, reviews and trade publications.

• Visit universities that have jewelry programs. Introduce yourself to the faculty and share your collection with students. Take a history of adornment class or metals workshop.
• Formulate your personal collecting philosophy and define the unifying characteristics of your collection.
• Document your collection. Keep good records on each artist and each purchase.
• When you see a piece that you love, it fits nicely in your collection and you know it will bring your joy — buy it, wear it and share it.

Museum Gifts and Loans

Discovering how objects came into the museum is an interesting aspect of any exhibition — some donated, others loaned, some given as a bequest or purchased with donated funds. Collectors and curators need each other, collectors for the work a museum desires and curators for bringing the work to the museum. For both the museum and donor there may be tax and legal considerations, for these reasons most museums offer highly personalized, full service consulting resources for all types of charitable giving.

Private collectors are often asked to lend their art for exhibitions. By giving the work public visibility you support the museum and the artist. Additionally, loaning may have the added benefit of enhancing the value of an object through public visibility. There are a number of considerations to take into account when loaning a piece to a museum including: value, term of the loan, insurance and liability, transportation and packing, photographic rights, exhibition and labeling and security. These and other considerations are articulated in a loan agreement document signed by both the lender and the museum. It is important to have photographs of the item and documentation that supports your purchase. Your insurance agent is a valuable resource should you have questions.

Assuming your heirs are not keeping their fingers crossed in hopes that your beloved art jewelry will some day be theirs, then you may want to consider making a gift of your jewelry. Gifts are of great benefit to museums, universities and non-profit organizations. Gifts have been responsible for the growth and enhancement of many permanent collections.

Gifts can be wonderfully simple, flexible and easy to make. There are many benefits of making a gift of art either during your lifetime or by bequest. You guarantee that your treasured piece will be cared for to the highest standards. You gain a charitable deduction for tax purposes and the removal of items subject to estate tax on the value of those objects. Through your gift, the artist is celebrated and the art form is preserved and displayed for the scholarship and enjoyment of generations to come. If you are considering making a gift, explore all the potential recipients, consider all the options, weigh the tax considerations and most importantly enjoy the process of giving. Once you have found the best place for your pieces you should document your intent to give. Museums can provide appropriate language for updating your will or assist you in documenting a current gift to the museum.

Thoughts on Wearing and Giving

As the opening of the Houston MFA exhibition Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection approaches we salute Helen for her generous gift and quote her here:

“An independent observer, free from politics and board restrictions, affords the artist freedom from oblivion. Our museums are filled with objects donated by those whose spirit of adventure and passion have recorded the taste of their time. By wearing the jewelry, these individuals stimulate inquiry. A golden triangle is formed — artist, object and observer.”

Conference Announcement

“Adornment: The Magazine of Jewelry & Related Arts” has announced its upcoming conference, A Place in Time: Jewelry within the Context of the Decorative Arts. The conference will examine personal ornament as a decorative art form. The event will be held at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC on October 6th and 7th. Speakers will address the ideology, inspirational sources, motifs, and techniques common to jewelry and its sister arts. It will also consider the ways in which jewelry is unique among the arts. For conference details and registration forms, contact Adornment at (914) 286-7685, or visit the conference’s Web site using the “Quick Link”.

In the Forum

We are pleased to begin our discussion of gifts and loans with a two-part interview with Kelly L’Ecuyer. Kelly is responsible for moving the gift of Daphne Farago’s jewelry collection into the care of the museum and holds the title of the Ellyn McColgan Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Art of the Americas. She was interviewed by AJF founding member Susan Cummins.

Susan: Kelly, can you tell us the story of how Daphne decided to put together a jewelry collection?

Kelly: Daphne collected American folk art for many years before turning her attention to studio craft, and especially studio jewelry. She has always loved things that are handmade and that reveal the individuality of the maker. So in a way, the transition from folk art to contemporary studio craft was a natural progression in her collecting. She has told me that she began collecting artist-made contemporary jewelry in about 1989, beginning gradually with the work of a few artists, like Bruce Metcalf or Mary Lee Hu, whose work strongly appealed to her. As she continued to learn about the field, looking at new work, visiting galleries and museums, always looking for the best quality works — she broadened her reach until her collection comprised more than 700 objects by well over 200 artists.

Susan: What were her criteria for adding new work into the collection?

Kelly: She has always sought excellence and works that give her “joy.” I think that sense of pleasure and personal connection to the work has always been her foremost criteria in part because she really wears this jewelry on a daily basis. She feels that it is the collector’s role not only to buy the works of living artists, but to help carry their ideas and their message to the world by wearing this art in daily life.

This idea of wearing jewelry to make it a kind of public art guided her collecting in that she tended to acquire works that could actually be worn, at least for short periods, and that relate to the body in a meaningful way. She generally avoided works that veered into performance art, like some of the more radical experiments of the late 1970s. This is not to say she avoided provocative jewelry — she collected daring pieces like Jan Yager’s crack vial necklace — but the basic relationship of jewelry to the wearer was important to her.

Daphne is a true collector with an extraordinary eye for quality. She sought out works that represent the best of a particular artist’s production. In other words, she didn’t buy a lot of minor works in order to collect important “names.” So many artists I’ve spoken to have said to me in more or less these words: “Daphne only wanted our best work.”

Susan: Did she know she was putting together a “museum quality” collection from the beginning? Did she seek advice from curators?

Kelly: Quite early on in the process of building the collection, Daphne decided that she wanted to form a collection that a museum would want. I am most impressed at how thoroughly she educated herself: by looking at jewelry, by reading, by talking to curators and dealers and artists. She was incredibly active in this regard, always curious and engaged and fascinated with the field.

She took advice from a number of dealers and curators who helped put her in touch with artists and helped her evaluate works for acquisition. She knew how to seek help from trusted advisors so that she could make good decisions. But she really did her “homework,” and this is evidenced by the tremendous library of jewelry books and catalogues she amassed and gave to the MFA along with her collection. There are a couple hundred publications, mostly museum exhibition catalogues and rare, out-of- print gallery publications, and they are all marked up with her notes about pieces she purchased or considered purchasing. They are a librarian’s nightmare because they are full of post-it notes and marks in the margins, but they are a curator’s dream.

Along with all these publications, she kept meticulous files on each artist and work of art in her collection, with all her invoices, receipts, correspondence, and magazine clippings. Again, this kind of record- keeping is a curator’s dream and it shows her thoughtful and intelligent approach to forming a museum-quality collection. If there is such a thing as a professional collector, Daphne would be it. To be continued…

IMAGE CREDITS

Bob Ebendorf, “Lost Soul Found Spirits” Neckpiece, 1999. Iron, aluminum, sterling silver, crab claws. Museum Gift of Sienna Patti to the Mint Museum of Art.
Keith Lewis, “Heart Orgy” brooch, 2001. Sterling silver, 24k gold. Exhibition loan by Sally von Bargen to Fuller Craft Museum for the 2006 exhibition The Edges of Grace: Provocative, Uncommon Craft.
Kiff Slemmons, “Wrist Flick II” Bracelet, 1999. Sterling silver, photographs, mica. Mint Museum purchase, funds provided by Sharon and Craig Campbell.
Marcia Macdonald, “If You Sit Still You Can Take Off the Mask” Neckpiece. Silver, gold leaf, wood. Promised gift of Sharon Campbell to the Tacoma Art Museum.

Boston in Review

An enthusiastic group of twenty three AJF members gathered in Boston in June to enjoy three days of non- stop art jewelry activities. Like all AJF tours, the days were filled with gallery events, artist presentations, studio visits, stimulating lectures and museum openings. And, as has become the custom, busy days ended with convivial and delicious meals.

We started on the first day with a private showing of Jaime Bennett’s work hosted by Sienna Gallery. Sienna Patti, the gallery’s founder, invited Bennett to discuss his work and asked decorative arts curator Jeannine Falino, who is authoring the book that will accompany an upcoming retrospective of Bennett’s work, to comment on the significant role Jaime’s work plays in the history of American jewelry.

We combined lunch with a tour of the innovative new Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) museum on the Boston waterfront and an exhibition of work by Louise Bourgeois, one of our most influential living artists.

It seemed we went from one high point to the next, with a rich and varied afternoon as guests of Massachusetts College of Art. With Metals professor Heather White as our host we toured the metals studio, visited with students and viewed a display of student work. Then we were treated to a lively and provocative lecture by the renowned Dutch master artist Ruudt Peters, which was followed by a gallery reception and exhibition of his latest “Sefiroth” series and work by MassArt faculty and alumni.

It just kept getting better

Early the next day we were off to Dan Jocz’s studio: everyone enjoyed seeing Dan’s workspace and his engaging description of his creative and technical explorations. His demonstration of how he electromagnetically applies the fiber flocking to his bracelets was fascinating and fun to watch. Dan joined us as we traveled to Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge where owners Libby and JoAnne Cooper had invited many artists to join us at the gallery for a casual lunch. We took in the featured exhibitions by Jennifer Trask and Joyce Scott. Jennifer discussed her inspiration and motivation for her provocative new body of work. Joe Wood, artist and MassArt professor, discussed faculty work and the university metals program. And, befitting our passion we spent a good amount of time eagerly exploring the gallery cases and drawers.

Back to Boston, where at the Museum of Fine Art we were greeted by Kelly L’Ecuyer. Kelly is the curator who worked closely with Daphne Farago to transfer her extensive collection to the museum. As she conducted our private tour of the first exhibition entitled “Jewelry By Artists, The Daphne Farago Collection,” she explained the wide-ranging plans the museum has for the collection. She also described how Farago was convinced of the artistic importance of the work and felt from the beginning that the collection should be housed in a fine arts museum which placed the jewelry in a large cultural context. Later that evening our group returned to the museum for the official opening reception to celebrate with the many artists, collectors and educators. As our trip came to a close we celebrated by sharing a wonderful meal together and gave a thankful toast to Pat and Susan for organizing such a terrific trip. As Orson Welles once said, “If you want a happy ending, that depends, on where you stop the story.” So, on a happy note we ended our trip to Boston. Next: Houston!

Jewelry that makes you think

In the catalog that accompanied the Daphne Farago Collection exhibition we found this quote. It is too good not to be shared. Art historian Blanche R. Brown recalled her attraction and purchase of a brooch in 1947.

“… it looked great, I could afford it, and it identified me with the group of my choice — esthetically aware, intellectually inclined, and politically progressive. That pin (or one of a few others like it) was our badge, and we wore it proudly. It celebrated the hand of the artist rather than the market value of the material. Diamonds were the badge of the philistine.”

In the Forum

Kudos to Pat, Susan and Sharon. Among the many benefits of being a member of AJF, the collector trips are the most extraordinary and Boston proved the point. This wonderful trip was flawlessly organized by Pat Rodimer, Susan Cummins and Sharon Campbell. Thank you for making the trip so wonderful.

Put Houston on your calendar and watch the mail for reservation information. In September we will travel to Houston for the grand opening of the Helen Williams Drutt Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts. Approximately 300 pieces of jewelry, plus drawings, watercolors, constructions and sculptures are included in the exhibition. The trip is scheduled from the 26th to the 30th. Susan Cummins, Sally von Bargen and Sharon Campbell are working now to take maximum advantage of other activities being planned in conjunction with the opening and planning visits to other Houston venues, including the Menil collection. Trip details and reservation forms will be sent very soon.

“Golden Clogs, Dutch Mountains” on AJF website. Andrea Wagner, a jewelry artist who lives in Amsterdam curated an exhibition featuring cutting edge work by 11 Dutch jewelry artists. The AJF homepage is currently featuring Andrea’s lecture and images of work by Iris Eichenberg, Jantje Fleischhut, Gesine Hackenberg, Ineke Heerkens, Stephanie Jendis, Manon van Kouswijk, Iris Nieuwenburg, Katja Prins, Constanze Schreiber, Francis Willemstijn and Andrea Wagner. Use the “Quick Link” below to explore this online presentation.

Next Month in AJF Connection

• Houston Trip Preview
• Collecting with a Purpose: Gifts, Grants, & Bequests
• New Member Profiles
• And so much more

Images

Jaime Bennett, Brooch, 2007, 18k gold, enamel. Photo courtesy of Sienna Gallery.
Dan Jocz, Bracelet, 2003, aluminum, Rayon flock,. Photo courtesy Mobilia Gallery.
Boston Trip Collage, (from R to L) Dan Jocz, Patti Bleicher, Sienna Patti, Jaime Bennett, Jeannine Falino, Susan Cummins, Ellen Ansel, Marion Fulk, Ruudt Peters, Joan Dutton, Jennifer Trask, Rita Newman, Joe Wood, Heather White, Sharon Campbell, Sally von Bargen, JoAnne Cooper. Images courtesy of Nancy Worden, Patricia Faber & Sally von Bargen.
Ruudt Peters, Sefiroth Series “Nezach” brooch, 2006, silver, mineral. Photo courtesy Ornamentum. Gallery.
Jennifer Trask, “Radiolaria” brooch, 2007, steel, silver, shakudo, gold, spessartite, pyrope garnet, fire opal, glass eyes. Photo courtesy Mobilia Gallery.
Joyce Scott, “Lazy Girl” neckpiece, 2007, hand stitched, glass and flameworked beads. Photo courtesy Mobilia Gallery.

Mark your calendar: something rare is going to happen and you don’t want to miss it. A program will be on TV that you actually will want to watch, a program that you will find enlightening and best of all a program that will enthuse your passion for collecting. On Wednesday, May 30th, PBS will premier CRAFT IN AMERICA: Memory, Landscape, Community, a three-part high-definition series that explores the important role craftsmanship has played throughout American history. It gets even better because the television special is part of a multi-faceted project that includes this PBS documentary, a traveling museum exhibition, a lavishly illustrated book, and a resource rich website.

The Craft in America project is the brainchild of Carol Sauvion, founder of Freehand Gallery in Los Angeles. For years, Carol has passionately labored to bring Craft in America to life, tirelessly and persuasively raising the millions of dollars needed to realize the dream of bringing to the cultural forefront what she sees as “an extraordinary wealth of objects that mean so much to who we are as a nation, are part of our living heritage, and are often hiding in plain sight.”

This issue of AJFconnection is dedicated to a preview of the Art in America project. We thankfully acknowledge and honor the tireless work of Carol Sauvion. Read on and tune in on May 30th.

CRAFT IN AMERICA to Premier on PBS

The project launches Wednesday, May 30th with the PBS premier of the Craft in America documentary which explores how craftsmanship has been passed from artist to artist over the last two centuries and highlights the central significance of craft in our society. In each episode we meet artists and discover what they do, how they do it and why they have chosen a life of creating art for all to appreciate.

The first episode, Memory takes a personal tour through craft’s history in America. It juxtaposes the intimate stories of some of our country’s most the prominent craft artists within a larger historical context. Landscape, the second episode focuses on the relationship between the artists and their physical environment. Episode three, Community looks at the connection artists have to their communities through craft making. The personal stories of gifted masters and passionate newcomers alike reveal the deeply held belief that craft is about more than just the making of an object - it is also a way of life, a reason for being.

IMAGE: Yager, Jan. Tiara of Useful Knowledge. City Flora: The Philadelphia Series, 2006. Transforms into: 8 brooches, 2 stick pins, tie tack, pendant, and headband. Sterling Silver, 18K & 14K Gold. Photography: Jack Ramsdale. As featured in CRAFT IN AMERICA.

The Show Goes On The Road

Craft in America: Expanding Traditions is the landmark traveling museum exhibition associated with the TV program. It offers a historical survey featuring more than 200 works spanning a 200 years. These innovative objects will reveal how craft taps into, and shapes, wider cultural streams and flows freely into the broad narrative of contemporary art. The exhibition opened its eight-city, two year tour at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock. The exhibition travels to Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; and Brockton, MA, and beyond.

IMAGE: Charles Loloma, Bracelet, c. 1970-80, channel-set silver, turquoise, ironwood, jet, coral, fossil mastodon, lapis and gold. Photograph by Robert K. Liu of Ornament and Karen Williamson. As featured in CRAFT IN AMERICA: Expanding Traditions; and CRAFT IN AMERICA: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects.

Illustrated Book Features Prologue by Jimmy Carter

It gets better! President Jimmy Carter, a long time craftsman and craft advocate, contributed to the prologue to the book, Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects. This lavishly illustrated book published by Clarkson Potter (Random House) features more than 200 images and showcases some of the greatest works of craft of the last two centuries. The publication explores the unique qualities of American craft while highlighting the objects created by Americas most original and esteemed artists. The book was co-authored by Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton.

IMAGE: Kiff Slemmons, Hands of the Heroes Project, Satchel Paige, 1987-1991 Silver, aluminum, brass, copper, acrylic shell, and wood. 3 ¼ x 2 ½ inches. Photography: Rod Slemmons. As featured in CRAFT IN AMERICA: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects.

Online Craft Source www.craftinamerica.org

The project’s web site, www.craftinamerica.org, is an online vortex that brings together all elements of the ambitious Craft in America project. “Craft in America.org. The site has been designed to become an unparalleled creative resource. According to Executive Director Carol Sauvion, “If the public wants to learn about well-known artists or discover those making breakthroughs, it will be there. Histories, tools, techniques and ways to start learning craft yourself.” The site also will provide middle and secondary school teachers plans and activities to continue the exploration.

Tips for Printing AJFconnection. Some of our members have asked how to print AJFconnection to make it easier to read or save. It has been designed for printing on standard 8.5 x 11 paper. The trick is to make sure the top, bottom, right and left margins have been set to .25″. If you need assistance just send us an email and we will be in touch to walk you though this simple configuration.

In the Forum: Jo Lauria

The Art Jewelry Forum is fortunate to have many members whose contributions to the arts help ensure that artists and their works are promoted, protected and perpetuated. In upcoming issues of AJFconnection we will meet other members and invite them to share, in their own words, their creative insights and passions.

This month we feature Jo Lauria, a long time AJF member who currently serves on the AJF board. She is the chief curator for the touring exhibition Craft in America: Expanding Traditions and co-author of the companion book, “Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects”. Jo was interviewed by AJF connection editor Sally von Bargen.

Sally I think I speak for all AJF members when I praise your critical contribution to both the Craft in America exhibition and the book. You must be both thrilled and exhausted.

Jo Yes, both thrilled and exhausted and humbled to be part of such a noble effort. It is a wonderful project, and I am honored to be associated with it.

Sally Will you share with us how the various components - the television documentary, the companion book and the national exhibition - work together?

Jo The analogy is the human body: the book gives the historical framework-the backbone, the structure, the context of why crafts came into existence, why they are important to our cultural heritage, and why the handcrafted object and the activity of hand-making has endured, and continues to thrive even in today’s post-industrial society.

The PBS documentary focuses on the lives of some of the key artists of our time, conveying the “backstory” (their personal narratives) and giving shape to the structure. It serves as the nervous system with attendant emotions and reactive responses. It poses the question, “Why do artists engage in craft making?” And answers it resoundingly with two reasons: passion and deliberate choice.

The exhibition represents the senses as it provides the channel for a sensory experience — the actual viewing, being enveloped by the objects, the physical journey navigating through the display of assembled objects can be a spiritual experience for some, for others a profound aesthetic one. It also enables learning about our culture, our heritage, and our traditions one handmade object at a time. Seeing craft objects on a television screen or reproduced in a book does not engender the same “connection” with the viewer — the urgent, intense, and critical exchange of immediate sensations communicated when one is in the presence of, and shares space with objects. The exhibition makes possible this intense sensate experience.

Sally What motivated your involvement in CRAFT IN AMERICA?

Jo I believed in the worth of the projects, the potential impact they could have on the field of crafts, design and decorative arts, and I was committed to the creative direction and mission as outlined by Carol Sauvion, the founder and executive director of CRAFT IN AMERICA. To write a book about American crafts with co-author Steve Fenton (and several contributing writers) that gave voice to our diverse native and multi-cultural communities seemed a unique contribution. Craft in America offered me the opportunity to organize an exhibition of masterpiece craft objects, a proposal that proved too seductive to resist.

Significant historical surveys of craft objects, expansive in both concept and size, are far and few between as they are often costly and unwieldy to organize, and can be challenging to place with appropriate host venues. But I think the efforts are well rewarded as these exhibitions resonate with viewers and can be very emotive. In fact they have the potential to be transformative — as craft objects are accessible, vital and validating; they reveal our shared histories, they are the legacies of our heritages, and most importantly, they are the potent expressions of our individualism. In short, I wanted to participate in something where the “whole” could be greater than the sum of its parts.

Sally I think it is fair to say that Craft in America is the first major exploration and public discussion in the 21st century of American craft, and as such will continue to inform the national exploration of artist made objects for years to come. Well done Jo, thank you.

IMAGE: Jo Lauria. Photograph by Jennifer Gerardi.

This edition of AJFconnection marks a milestone. Last fall our members responded to a wide ranging survey. The AJF board of directors Pat Rodimer, Elizabeth Shyprett, Jo Lauria and Rika Mouw invited founding members Susan Cummins, Sharon Campbell, Donna Briskin and me, new member Sally von Bargen, to discuss the AJF survey, goals of the organization and ways to strengthen the AJF community.

AJFconnection resulted from that conversation. The plan was to give the newsletter a try for six months, and then assess its benefit to members. Your consistently kind praise and the overwhelming response to our Boston trip has the board feeling confident that AJFconnection has deepened your personal connection to AJF. The newsletter is now a long-term benefit of AJF membership.

Thank you for taking the time to open, read and explore AJFconnection. The purpose of AJFconnection remains to strengthen the AJF community and to advocate for the art form that fuels our passion, contemporary art jewelry. Remember, when you have an exhibition, artist, event or idea to share with all of us, please send it along and we’ll spread the word.

Sally von Bargen

AJFconnection Editor

Sharon Campbell Enlightens Artists and Students

Sharon Campbell, one of the founding members of AJF and formerly an interior designer, dealer, and currently a collector of contemporary art jewelry, was asked by the Metal Arts Guild of San Francisco to make a presentation last month at the Academy of Art auditorium. Sharon talked about the way she saw jewelry in relationship to architectural spaces, surfaces and materials and presented striking imagery in support of her vision. Since jewelry and interior spaces and the materiality of both are passions of hers, it was a wonderful opportunity for her to think out loud about how she sees.

For Sharon “jewelry and the interiors are kindred spirits - the originality in the pieces I was seeing and the interiors that I was creating felt similar. The intertwining threads that run between the two fields are the ever-evolving use of materials. The juxtaposition of textures and materials in relationship to each other, and the ability of an artist, architect or designer to create something unique that becomes a personal expression.”

We all see differently, and her presentation offered fascinating insight into how contemporary makers and collectors of all disciplines reflect the visual language of the time. She visually demonstrated the parallels between the architecture of Frank Gehry and the jewelry of Annamaria Zanella, the architecture of Jim Jennings and the jewelry of Helen Britton, and the Uyemura residence and the work of Florian Weichsberger.

Sharon’s up beat attitude and caring passion served to encourage jewelry artists to follow their interests into making ambitious new and original jewelry. She was encouraging about the future for contemporary jewelry in the world wide marketplace as well as enthusiastic about the exhibitions of major jewelry collections taking place this year at two major fine arts museums. All of this exposure to new audiences who already have an interest in the arts and who will understand the aesthetics of the unusual materials involved in making art jewelry is good news for the field.

IMAGES: Slides from Sharon’s presentation, courtesy of Sharon Campbell

Our Search for 2007 Emerging Artist Begins

AJF has launched the 2007 candidate search for our Emerging Artist Award. AJF member Nancy Worden will spearhead our search as AJF seeks to acknowledge promise, innovation and individuality in the work of emerging artists. Harriete Estel Berman, artist and teacher, and Jean Mandeberg, artist and metals professor have accepted Nancy’s invitation to jury the entries.

The Emerging Artist Award consists of a cash award of $2000 and free registration for the full Visiting Artist Program at the next Buyers Market of American Craft, courtesy of the Rosen Group. The award will be announced at SOFA Chicago in November.

We thought you would enjoy seeing a recent work by our first Emerging Artist Award winner Yeonmi Kang. Yeonmi continues to evolve as an artist and her work can be found in many notable collections and galleries.

Image: Yeonmi Kang, The Rumor, brooch, enamel and sterling silver, 2″ x 2.5″. Courtesy Facere Jewelry Art Gallery

Arlene Fisch Honored with USA Fellowship

In its inaugural year, United States Artists awarded 50 USA Fellowships to a total of 54 artists, and four artists’ collaboratives. Expert panels selected the winners from among 300 applicants representing every artistic discipline in 43 states. As USA Fellows, each artist receives an unrestricted grant of $50,000 to support his or her creative work.

Arline Fisch, who has practiced her craft for more than 50 years, is one of the most respected jewelry makers in the field and was named a USA Target Fellow. Her work melds jewelry, sculpture, and clothing, and she incorporates the structure of textiles and fiber craft into metal-based pieces that are often inspired by ancient cultures and the natural world. Fisch is the recipient of numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from Skidmore, a gold medal from the American Craft Council, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Crafts from the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and multiple Fulbright fellowships to travel to Uruguay, Austria, and Denmark. She has been a trustee of the American Craft Council, a founding member and president of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, and a trustee of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. She is represented in numerous collections and exhibitions around the world.

IMAGE: Portrait courtesy of USA Artist, photography: Cary Okazaki

Collectors Take Note

Boston Trip Filling Up Fast:

We are thrilled that so many AJF members have signed up for our Boston trip. We are fast approaching our maximum capacity of 25 and have even had the hotel increase our room allotment. There is room for only a few more members so it’s time to decide if you wish to join us in Boston May 19-21. We urge you to act now by calling the hotel to book a room before the April 18th cutoff date and immediately send us your registration form and check.

SNAG Offering Collector Program at Memphis Conference:

SNAG is introducing the “Friends of SNAG” program for jewelry advocates at their conference in Memphis this year. This program offers access to special programs, conference activities and social events. Among the many interesting events is a private tour of The Metal Museum hosted by James Wallace, the executive director of the museum. Use the quick link below to visit the SNAG website for more information.

Anya Kivarkis Honored Three Times:

The work of Anya Kivarkis, Assistant Professor of Jewelry/Metalsmithing at the University of Oregon in Eugene was selected to be included in the 8th Northwest Biennial at the Tacoma Museum of Art. The Biennial is structured to prompt meaningful dialogue about the Northwest’s artistic strengths and accomplishments. The exhibit opened in February and closes on May 6th.

Anya’s work has been acknowledged on both sides of the pond. She was a recipient of Sienna Gallery’s Emerging Artist Award and is one of only two Americans included in Schmuck 2007. Thrid time’s a charm.

IMAGE: Anya Kivarkis, untitled, brooch, silver and enamel paint. Courtesy of the artist.

Collectors like you appreciate art as an international language that articulates beliefs, explores ideas, and ultimately defines a culture. For many of us it was an unexpected and powerful experience of art that sparked our desire to understand that language and led us to explore contemporary art jewelry. In this issue of AJFconnection we feature a traveling museum exhibition of contemporary jewelry by Israeli women likely to capture your imagination.

If you missed this exhibition at the Racine Art Museum, you’ll be pleased to learn that it has moved to the Bellevue Arts Museum. Executive Director Michael Monroe, who left the Renwick to lead BAM, is a committed advocate for contemporary jewelry and brings the Israeli women jewelry exhibition on the heels of its critically acclaimed Ron Ho retrospective. If you happen to be in Seattle be sure to catch the show.

Important News from the Board

Call for nominating committee volunteers: The Board is moving forward to develop a nominating committee and process for bringing on new board members. Our goal is to have this process completed by October in order to have transition time with current board members. If you have an interest in becoming more involved with AJF either through participation on the nominating committee or finding out more about what positions are available, we’d love to hear from you now. Use “Quick Links” to volunteer.

AJF website expanded: Our website now has a new page, listed across the horizontal top navigation bar. Called Resources, it is designed as a place within the site where you can connect to other resources in a number of categories. We’ve launched this new page with the following categories: Websites of interest; Member Gallery Websites; Shows; Organizations; and Publications. Member Gallery Websites as a link is currently only available to those galleries who are AJF members. We have chosen to post links to these sites to ensure your easy access to their most up-to- date information. If you have come across other sites that you feel would be good additions, please let us know. We’re counting on the internet scanning fingertips of our members to help build out this resource over time.

AJF supports CERF: The Board has again approved a $500 donation to CERF (the Craft Emergency Relief Fund). This is a group which does great work day-in-day-out providing assistance to artists in need. The needs have morphed exponentially with Katrina so we have chosen to give a $500 donation annually from AJF.

Boston trip: The Boston trip registration package goes into the mail shortly. Almost all the details are final and we think you’re going to be delighted. And, aren’t we all ready to plan our own version of a spring break trip in these final doldrums of winter! We’d love to get just an “expression of interest” from all of you at this time as to whether or not you are planning to join us in Boston on May 19- 22. Responding to our request via email to: info@artjewelryforum.org does not obligate you in any way to register but this information will be very helpful to our trip planners at this time so please do let us know if you are planning to come.

This could be your last AJFconnection! If you have not renewed you AJF membership now is the time to do it. The next newsletter will only be emailed to members who have paid their 2007 dues.

AJF Website Login: Easy As 1-2-3

We have recently had some questions about our website logon process, now that we have moved the site to a new platform. Here are the steps to follow:

Go to www.artjewelryforum.org.
Click “Login” in the upper right navigation bar.
Enter your first and last name, i.e., Sue Smith and password: ajf (lower case). You can also change your password if you wish.
You will now have access to all of the content on the site, including the members-only Directory (http://www.artjewelryforum.org/members- only/members/).

If you lost your password, follow steps 1 and 2 above but then click “Forgot Password” at the logon screen. If you need help logging on, here is a video tutorial: http://www.likoma.com/lost-password-update-user- info/.

The most frequent reason for login problems is that a member has changed his or her email address and not notified AJF. Our system is based on your email address on file so please be sure to put us on your notification list when changing that address.

Contemporary Israeli Jewelers Show Moves to BAM

Women’s Tales: Four Leading Israeli Jewelers, is the first comprehensive study of Israeli contemporary jewelry to focus on the careers of four of its leading women jewelers. The show, featuring 127 jewelry pieces, opens at the Bellevue Arts Museum this month. The exhibition began an international tour at the Racine Arts Museum, moves to Europe to tour in 2008-09 and closes at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem during 2009-2010.

The exhibition is the first in-depth study of the works of leading jewelry artists Bianca Eshel-Gershuni, Vered Kaminski, Esther Knobel, and Deganit Stern Schocken. Each of these artists has played a critical role in forging an Israeli identity in the contemporary jewelry movement, one that is distinctive of Europe and America. Their work has brought international attention to a country that was previously largely unrecognized for its contribution to contemporary jewelry. All four artist were trained in Europe and looked for inspiration in other European contemporary jewelry, which has a focus on non-precious materials. These four artists’ works are uniquely autobiographical, reflecting their womanhood as individuals, wives and mothers living in Israel and strongly impacted by its culture.

A nationally distributed catalog, created by the Racine Art Museum, will accompany the show and will be available in the Bellevue Arts Museum Store.

IMAGE: Bianca Eshel-Gershuni, Belt Buckle, 1973 18k gold, pearls, semi precious stones, porcelain and mirrors, 10 1/2″ x 4 1/4″, Courtesy of the Artist Photography: Michael Tropea

IMAGE: Deganit Stern Schocken, Body Piece (City), 1993, Nickel silver, stainless steel, paper, silver, and shell, courtesy of the Artist / Racine Art Museum. Photography: Michael Tropea

AJF Helps MFA Houston Acquire Keith Lewis Piece

AJF made a contribution to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston that may have gone unnoticed by many AJF members. In 2006 the Museum was seeking funding support for the acquisition of “Neckpiece for Zymrina: a prostitute of Pompeii” by Keith Lewis. The museum desired to connect and contrast this important contemporary work with its collection of ancient Roman fresco paintings and classical jewelry. AJF, along with many individual AJF members, contributed funds which enabled the museum to add this master work to their jewelry collection.

Beginning with the Helen Drutt bequest, the Houston museum has made a serious commitment to collecting and displaying significant contemporary art jewelry. The museum felt Lewis’s finely crafted neckpiece with its historic references would be an important addition to their collection, enabling a comparative dialog between classical and contemporary jewelry. Keith Lewis is very appreciative for both the recognition by the museum and the support the acquisition received from AJF and its members.

Please visit the AJF website for news on other important programs and contributions we have made to provide opportunities for art jewelry to by enjoyed and appreciated.

Image: “Neckpiece for Zymrina: a prostitute of Pompeii” 2002 (neckpiece with 5 pins) sterling silver, fine silver, 24K gold plate, enamel on copper, pearls. Entire piece: 26 cm dia., largest pin: 6 x 11 x 1 cm. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Mint Museum Expands Modern Jewelry Collection

The Mint Museum of Craft + Design has focused on raising capital to expand its contemporary international jewelry collection. The museum will add breadth and dimension to it’s collection by acquiring contemporary jewelry works that exhibit innovation, and originality and distinction in design. The end goal is to assemble a collection which will chronicle original conceptual and technical developments.

Assisting the museum in the search for the rare, the unusual and the nearly unobtainable is AJF member and jewelry collecting pioneer Susan Beech. Susan is working with the museum to build the collection, and the museum staff continues to benefit from her extensive knowledge and critical commentary.

Among the many fine works the museum collected at SOFA Chicago 2006 were works by Lisa Gralnick, Sergey Jivetin, Ruudt Peters, Annamaria Zanella and Katja Prin. These acquisitions illustrate the physical and imaginative exploration of nontraditional materials by artists from across the globe to create alluring and wearable works of art.

Image: Annamaria Zenella, Brooch, 2006 silver enamel gold and pigment. Photo: courtesy of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design

Take Note!

• SOFA has announced that Opening Night will move to Thursday evening, May 31. For more information use the “Quick Link” to visit the SOFA website.
• Use the “Quick Links” to visit the AJF website for news about our 2007 trips to Boston (May 20 - 21) and Houston (Sept. 26 - 30).
• If you overlooked renewing your AJF membership, take a few minutes to send your renewal to us today.
• If you have exhibition or museum news to share send us an email using the “Quick Links”.
• Invite a friend to join AJF.

SOFA New York: AJF Sponsors Catherine Truman

AJF is pleased to sponsor Australian artist Catherine Truman’s speaking engagement at SOFA New York in June. Catherine is co-founder of Gray Street Workshop in Adelaide, Australia. Established in 1985, it is one of Australia’s longest running contemporary jewelry studios. Her work has always been informed by a strong political consciousness. In recent work she investigates the authenticity of the images we carry about our personal anatomy. The resulting objects, characteristically carved from wood or wax, are not exact anatomical replicas but rather evoke sensory responses of physical recognition and resemblance.

Catherine explains, “I am a maker of objects for and about the human body. My current interests lie in the ways in which human anatomy has been translated through artistic process and scientific method - how the experience of living inside a body has been given meaning.

The interior of the body is a concealed territory - the less we see the more we imagine. I’m interested in how we reveal and conceal the unfamiliar - the unaccustomed, the invisible. A curiosity of the very nature of the human body itself has always been a potent resource for the subject matter of my work and my choice of medium.”

Truman has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally and is represented in a number of major national and international collections. Currently she is a Fine Arts masters by research candidate at Monash University.

Image: Yellow #3 (brooch), 2006 carved English lime wood, paint, shu nihu ink, 80 x 110 x 40mm. Photo by Grant Hancock

Mark your calendar! Save these dates! Start packing! This year we are making plans to take advantage of two blockbuster exhibitions. 2007 will see two of the world’s most renown collections go on display for the first time and we are planning trips to both - first to Boston in May and then to Houston in September. Read on and plan on enjoying both trips. These are member-only trips so don’t forget to renew your membership.

Thanks to AJF members who have sent newsletter compliments and suggestions. As is common in small self-published efforts, you might find the occasional typo or grammatical oddity. Please excuse them and us for not catching them. Remember both the AJF website and the AJFconnection newsletter are designed to strengthen the Art Jewelry Forum member community. If you have news you would like to share, or, better yet, if you would like to write for the newsletter please drop us an email.

in this issue

• “Coming Into View” Emerging Artist Exhibition At Univ of Oregon
• May: Join Us in Boston for the Daphne Farago Collection Opening
• September: We’re Off to Houston for the Grand Opening of the Helen Drutt Collection
• From the Board: More >From Our Fall Planning Session
• Let’s Hear From You

May: Join Us in Boston for the Daphne Farago Collection Opening

Join us in Boston on May 20 and 21 for the opening of the Daphne Farago collection at the Museum of Fine Arts. With a selection of about 150 objects, this collection exhibition will provide a chronological and thematic survey of studio jewelry in the twentieth century. While demonstrating the breadth of the collection and the variety of artists’ approaches to jewelry-making, the show also offers in-depth exploration of works by many key artists.

It is shaping up to be a wonderful trip. Plan on returning home Tuesday, May 22 as our Monday schedule will take us into the evening. We’re currently talking to a hotel there about rooms and lining up some wonderful activities for Sunday, May 20. Watch for more information to come in the next month or two. In the meantime mark your calendar and for more information on the exhibition, visit the museum website using the quick link to the right.

Photo: Lovers Brooch, Sam and Carol Kramer, American, Sterling silver with turquoise and garnet, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, photo copyright Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

September: We’re Off to Houston for the Grand Opening of the Helen Drutt Collection

Later this fall, September 26-30, we will be in Houston for the grand opening of the Helen Drutt Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts. We are working on the agenda for this trip in order to take maximum advantage of the various other activities being planned in conjunction with this opening. We will also find time to visit some of Houston’s other outstanding venues, including the DeMenil collection.

Photo: Envy, Neckpiece 1997, Sharon Church, American, born 1948 Sterling silver, antler, diamonds, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Hellen Drutt Collection; gift of Helen Williams Drutt English in honor of the artist, photo copyright the artist.

From the Board: More From Our Fall Planning Session

At our November planning session, we revisited the mission and goals of the organization to see how they have stood the test of time since our founding. Good news! Everything still seems appropriate although we did make some changes along the way.

Our Mission: The Art Jewelry Forum is a non-profit organization designed to advocate the field of contemporary art jewelry, by promoting education, appreciate, and support for contemporary art jewelry.

The inclusion of the word “advocate” is a small yet significant change, signaling our understanding that we need to step up and play a stronger role in the field in order to bring about our mission and goals.

We combined two former goals into one and added a fifth in recognition of the need to reach out and create relationships with other organizations which have an affinity with ours. Therefore, our goals now read:

Goals are only as good as the actions we take to realize them. In coming issues of AJFconnection we will report on refinements we are making to our programs and new efforts we will be making to strengthen our membership and our advocacy.

Let’s Hear From You

We are in the process of creating a resource section for the AJF website which will link to sites, periodicals and collector resources. Have you discovered a wonderful website related to art jewelry? If so, we’d really love to hear from you. All you need to do is to click the link below and drop us an email.

Send us your suggestions

“Coming Into View” Emerging Artist Exhibition At Univ of Oregon

On Wednesday, January 24th at 6 p.m., Susan Cummins will lecture on Coming Into View, a traveling exhibition of work featuring emerging jewelers that originated in the home of Yaan Wooley dueing the Society of North American Goldsmiths 2006 Chicago conference. The lecture will take place in Eugene at the University of Oregon, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, where the exhibition is currently on view. A reception with the academic, local, and regional community will follow the lecture.

The exhibition is curated by Mary Hallman Pearse, assistant professor of Jewelry/Metals at the University of Georgia Athens, and artist curator Sakurako Shimizu with the purpose of defining “some of the most visible conceptual strategies employed by emerging studio jewelers. The 12 artists represented deal both with ideas present in studio jewelry since the sixties as well as brand new ones which are specific to scientific and social development of the 21st century.”

To learn more about the U of O exhibition visit the Jordan Schnitzer Museum website by clicking the link below. If Eugene is too far off your path and you would like to see the exhibition and learn about these artists please visit the Coming Into View website using the Coming Into View quick link.

Photo: Amelia Toelke, Banner Brooch, Enamel on copper, sterling silver, 2006, photo courtesy CIV.

Click for more museum info…

January is the month to make resolutions and mark our calendars with the many things that lie ahead in the new year. In 2007 AJF has two wonderful trips planned (yes two!) and within days you’ll receive another newsletter with all the details,but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

In our first newsletter on 2007 we begin by looking back. Last fall AJF members headed to Southern California. In this newsletter we are able to share the highlights of their trip thanks to contributions of AJF members Jo Lauria, Rika Mouw, Nancy Worden and Susan David.

Read on and watch your email for news of the trips we are planning for 2007. We wish all our members a very happy and creative new year.

in this issue

• California Trip Photo Album
• Fall 2006 AJF Travels to Southern California
• It’s Time to Renew Your Membership
• Upcoming News

Fall 2006 AJF Travels to Southern California

(contributed by Jo Lauria) An enthusiastic group of AJF members participated in our trip to Southern California this past October. Like all of our tours, these four days were filled with visits to artists’ studios, museums, galleries and even a private collection. And, as past trips have set the bar high for offering excellent cuisine and ambiance, San Diego and Los Angeles restaurants rose to the challenge and provided our members with a delightful and delectable array of fine dining experiences.

In San Diego, Helen Shirk and Sondra Sherman, both metalsmiths and professors at San Diego State University, invited us to hear several of their students speak about the work they had on display in the art gallery. We were all delighted by the freshness, daring, and significance of these pieces, and felt that these young artists would assure a bright future for the field of art jewelry. Graduate student David Clemons walked us through his thesis show, explaining the compelling concepts at the core of his complex, beautifully crafted metal objects and jewelry.

It seemed we went from one high point to the next: a private reception at Taboo Studio wetted our appetites for a visit to the home and studio of Arline Fisch. We were all in awe and left speechless by Arline’s presentation. Her “show and tell” included works spanning four decades, and it was a great learning experience to hear Arline’s overview of her career as a jeweler and educator, and to be presented with the opportunity not only to see, but also to handle her intricately fabricated jewelry pieces.

The San Diego tour ended with a flourish as we enjoyed a private tour of the exhibit “Jewelry of Five Continents” at the Mingei Museum, led by the museum’s director Rob Sidner. It was obvious from the magnificently scaled neck torques, belts, anklets, bracelets and headdresses from China, Afghanistan and Morocco that Americans are far less adorned than people of Asian and African cultures.

Further north, Long Beach and Los Angeles, another fabulous museum experience awaited us at the Long Beach Museum of Art. After a private lunch in the museum’s “ocean gallery” overlooking the Pacific, museum director Hal Nelson showed us several important modernist jewelry pieces by sculptor Claire Falkenstein. And to commemorate the event, each participant received a museum catalog of Falkenstein’s jewelry. Moving from the historical to the contemporary, we visited the studios of Kristin Beeler (Associate Professor of Jewelry & Metalwork, Long Beach City College) and Marianne Hunter, a self-taught enamellist and metalsmith extraordinaire. Each artist had a rich collection of work to show us, and it was very enlightening to hear the artists’ inspirations and motivations for creating the pieces, and to learn some of their fabrication techniques.

Ditto for the artists who presented the following day: After we enjoyed a lovely brunch hosted by FreeHand Gallery owner Carol Sauvion, four of the jewelers FreeHand represents–Christina Smith, Karen McCreary, Sue Anne Dorman, and Rachel Gehlhar– discussed their work on view at the gallery. Pulling out all the stops, we ogled and fondled more jewelry later that afternoon at the downtown studio of metalsmith Valerie Mitchell, at the home of a private collector who passed around pieces from her collection of tribal African, Native American, and contemporary jewelry, and at the “hands on” visit to Lisa Berman’s Sculpture to Wear Gallery which capped off the day.

And, befitting for a group awash in jewelry, our guest speaker and trip participant Nancy Worden gave a rousing and informative presentation on the “cleaning and maintenance of art jewelry” and provided starter cleaning kits for each member. We all promised Nancy that we would rid ourselves of tarnish when we returned home.

As the Bard would say, “All’s well that ends well”, an apt statement for our group who ended their SoCal trip with a tour of the newly reopened Getty Villa in Malibu. The Getty’s antiquities and the ocean villa setting offered an unparalleled experience and a glorious finale for our AJF trip participants.

It’s Time to Renew Your Membership

The holiday season is hectic and it is easy for things to be set aside and overlooked. It was during this busy time of year that we sent our 2007 renewal email.

Please take the time find our email and renew your membership. Share your passion! Give a gift AJF membership to a friend.

Upcoming News

• A preview of two wonderful 2007 AJF trips
• More from the Board Planning Session
• News of a recent AJF acquisition donation

Have news to share? Click here!

California Trip Photo Album

Collector Lynn Altman with AJF members Rika Mouw and Don Newman.
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Artist Kristen Beeler discusses one of her necklaces at her Long Beach Studio

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Artist Marianne Hunter explains the drawing process she uses for her jewelry pieces during a studio visit.

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Professor Sondra Sherman and several of her students at San Diego State University chatting with artist Nancy Worden during the fall show of student and alumni work at the university’s art gallery.

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Hall Nelson, former director of the Long Beach Museum of Art, hosts a private lunch for members

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Arlene Fisch discusses one of her early necklaces at her Sand Diego studio.

Welcome to our first AJF email newsletter. We are geographically far flung, yet we are closely bound by a common appreciation for art jewelry. Our goal for AJFconnection is that it will strengthen the bond between our members and our organization and deepen our appreciation for the jewelry we admire.

Among the many wonderful things about contemporary art jewelry is the three way connection between the maker, the wearer and the viewer. Each of us has experienced those quizzical looks or shared magical moments when someone is drawn to and then asks about a piece we are wearing. Our hope that is the coming months you grow to love receiving and sharing AJFconnection almost as much as you enjoy the connections you foster by wearing or collecting contemporary art jewelry.

In each issue we will feature work by a noteworthy artist. We launch with 2006 emerging Artist Award winner Natalya Pinchuk. We hope you enjoy our inaugural issue and look forward to receiving your suggestions.

in this issue

2006 Emerging Artist Winner Natalya Pinchuk
AJF Board Listens and Launches E-Newsletter
Yvonne Markovitz First Curator of Jewelry at U.S. Museum
Coming in Future Newsletters

AJF Board Listens and Launches E-Newsletter

One of the nicest things about AJF members is your willingness to share your opinions and views with us which is exactly what many of you did recently in response to our first membership survey. (We learned a lot about online surveys and next time we will make it easier to participate.)

You are now reading one of our first responses to what we learned from the survey. This AJFconnection, which will be sent to you twice monthly starting in January, is designed to increase the flow of information to you, give you reasons to take another look at our website and to provide our members a way to share information with each other.

• Mission, goals, and programs rated well in terms of being in alignment with our mission, although results were uncertain about our sponsorship of speakers at SOFA.
• There was strong support for growing the organization and continuing to expand our website.
• For most of you, AJF plays a vital role in the field and you would recommend us to your friends, it was also clear that we can do more to enhance the value of membership.

The richness of the survey, however, comes through in your response to our open-ended questions. The single biggest improvement you requested is more regular communication, which we are already tackling, and expanding our membership which we will be addressing as we evolve our organizational structure to support the growing needs of the Art Jewelry Forum and the larger art jewelry community.

Yvonne Markovitz First Curator of Jewelry at U.S. Museum

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston recently announced that Yvonne Markovitz, an expert on ancient and modern jewelry, has become the first Curator of Jewelry, a position endowed by museum trustee Susan B. Kaplan. This is the first jewelry curatorship at the MFA Boston as well as the first at any art museum in the country.

In her new position Yvonne will oversee the MFA’s sizable and comprehensive jewelry collection. With the recent gift to the Museum of The Daphne Farago Collection, comprised of 600 pieces of contemporary jewelry, the MFA now holds the most comprehensive collection of 20th century studio jewelry ever assembled.

Coming in Future Newsletters

2007 is shaping up to be a very interesting year. We can look forward to large-scale contemporary jewelry shows in two of the country’s most prestigious museums, MFA Boston and Houston Museum of Fine Arts. Our website will continue to grow and our programs will continue to evolve. We’ll share gallery news, artists of note, developments in the field. We plan to send AJFconnection twice a month to keep you in the know. If you have news you would like to share please let us know. We welcome your suggestions Handy email links are just a click away.

Coming in your next AJFconnection

• 2007 Trip Previews
• News from the Board Planning Session
• Mint Museum Acquisition News
• New Feature! “You Tell Us”

Send us your newsletter suggestions…

2006 Emerging Artist Winner Natalya Pinchuk

We are delighted to announce this year’s Emerging Artist Award Winner is Natalya Pinchuk. The jury was comprised of retired metals professor Arline Fisch, curator Gail M. Brown and renown jewelry artist Nancy Worden. The jury chose from thirty-three entries representing all regions of the U.S. as well as the Netherlands and Turkey. The criteria used to evaluate the entries were: originality, quality of craftsmanship and continuity of design. The jury was challenged and inspired by the high percentage of exceptional entries.

Pinchuk submitted a body of work she calls Growth Series. In Growth Series, bright flowers seem to sprout from the wearer in formations suggestive of colorful fungi thriving on a vine-like host. They appear to be indigenous to the steamy tropics and Dr. Suess. Juror Gail M. Brown described these whimsical felt, plastic and enamel creations as “daring and joyful.”

Natalya’s work appears in the new Lark Books publication 500 Necklaces. and was included in the exhibition of the same title at Velvet da Vinci in San Francisco this past November. She is also represented by Charon Kransen in New York. Formal announcement of her award was made at SOFA Chicago. This marks the seventh year that AJF has given an award to an emerging jewelry artist whose work shows exceptional promise.

Click for more info…