February AJF News - Exclusively for you!

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AJF NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY

2013

A LETTER FROM THE AJF BOARD CHAIR

Dear (Contact First Name),

Photo: Susan Cummins

The contemporary jewelry community is like a small town. Some people go about their lives without much curiosity or passion, and some are hungry for more and seek out knowledge in the unknown territories. You, as a member of AJF, represent one of those seekers. We send out writers and scouts to the edges of our territory--the unknown--to see what is going on out there, and they return back with reports that appear on our website. We post these articles, stories, and interviews for all to read, but only the seekers will read them.

Thank you for supporting our frontier adventure with your donations.

I continue to believe that to grow a healthy marketplace and culture with credibility you need three things: a strong secondary market; good critical and scholarly books and articles; and museum acquisitions that create legitimacy for the practice. Art jewelry doesn't have all those things yet, but AJF is doing everything we can to support these aspects of a healthy contemporary jewelry scene. Our website is kicking ass! It is one of the very few places you can read timely reports and thoughtful, critical reviews of various events and issues taking place in the international contemporary jewelry world. What are you interested in hearing about? Contact me.

Hand + Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft

I just finished reading Hand + Made: The Performative Impulse in Art and Craft with essays by Glenn Adamson, Namita Wiggers, and Valerie Cassel Oliver. It is a fairly quick read, thought provoking, and relates to a show at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. You can find a review on our website. But don't forget that if you order the book from our website though our Purchase link we get a kickback from Amazon. Whoopee!

Hope to see you in Munich at Schmuck. Let me know if you will be there so we can be sure to connect.

Best wishes,

Susan Cummins

Chair, AJF

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CALENDAR ESPECIALLY FOR YOU: Amsterdam Trip CHANGE OF DATE

Rijksmuseum, photo: Myra May

Due to high hotel charges and a lack of good rooms available in September, we have changed the date of the AJF trip to Amsterdam.

The NEW DATES are OCTOBER 11TH-15TH.

Our main hotel will be the Sofitel, located in the heart of the city. Please let us know of your interest and make your reservations now for the best rates.

CALENDAR ESPECIALLY FOR YOU: Schmuck in Munich

Georgenhof, Munich, Germany

The annual gathering of jewelers and jewelry enthusiasts called Schmuck will take place in Munich from March 6th-10th. Because it can be difficult to find a list of those invited to participate, I have attached one here.

Just for you, AJF has planned an intimate gathering on Thursday, March 7th at 7:30pm in a private dining room at the beautiful restaurant Georgenhof (located in Schwabing at 1 Friedrichstrasse). The dinner will cost 40 euros or approximately $55 per person. Please sign up ASAP on our website under Travel > Registration and Payment.

This will be an excellent opportunity to spend time with friends and make new acquaintances.

AJF SURVEY RESULTS

The AJF Board sent you a questionnaire last fall, and many of you answered it. Thank you. We thought you might want a summary of our findings and how we plan to respond. The survey was distributed to all AJF members and a large group of non-members. Here is a summary of what we learned and what we are planning to do:

Zimmerhof 2012, Germany, photo: Ben Lignel

Members overwhelmingly associate AJF with information. Our website and blog content are highly regarded and position AJF as a knowledgeable resource.

Both members and non-members feel that the most important mission of AJF is to be an advocate for the field.

- AJF is taking its role as advocate and information provider seriously. Based on what we learned, we are positioning the organization as a guide to all that is contemporary art jewelry. Our website and blog will continue to feature critical writing, interviews, and informative content. Our first book Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective will be published next September, solidifying this mission.

AJF is differentiated from other organizations by its international scope, singular focus on art jewelry, financial support of the field, and diversity of membership. It is perceived as the only organization that bridges all groups--makers, collectors, curators, writers, museums, galleries, and academia.

- We will continue to embrace all parts of the art jewelry community and reinforce this message in our communication. It was only a few short years ago that AJF was a collectors' group.

The Assemble Conference 2012 in London, photo: British Craft Council

You told us you love our events--you just wish there were more of them in more locations, and in some cases, that they were more affordable for all.

- This past year, we held�� 11 events in the US, UK, and Germany. We will continue to try to find opportunities that allow members to interact in person. Member events help build the sense of community many of you are seeking. Unfortunately, most events are held in bigger cities to take advantage of the larger audience of contemporary jewelry enthusiasts. Because we know you can't all travel to these locations, we will be sure to post reports and pictures on our website, in our newsletter, and on Facebook. We will also look at other possibilities, such as providing video coverage of our events.

Several of you raised an issue that we have heard before--broadening financial support beyond emerging artists.

- During 2013, our grants committee is re-evaluating all of our awards, both for makers and institutions. Stay tuned.

We thank everyone who participated in our survey. Your feedback is very important to help us shape our brand, guide our positioning, and ensure that we are providing content and benefits that you value.

AUCTION RESULTS

Constance Abernathy, Carved Amethyst Owl Necklace, photo: RAGO Auctions

RAGO Auctions sold two Constance Abernathy

necklaces--one for $2625 and the second for $1375.

MAD Museum has her necklaces in their collection.

MEET THE CURATORS

Stefano Catalani, photo: Derya San Photography

Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) has undertaken a series of important surveys of American contemporary jewelers over the past few years. Damian Skinner had the opportunity to speak with Stefano Catalani, Director of Curatorial Affairs/Artistic Director.

Damian Skinner: Why do you think jewelry is popular?

Stefano Catalani: It's about objects, things that you can touch. It doesn't have the sacredness of a painting or sculpture, which demands distance and reverence. In my opinion, jewelry's function as body ornament lowers our threshold of reverence. Its perception as an object to wear provides an entry point to its sculptural dimension and aesthetic and cultural values. Read more...

MEET THE GALLERIES

Galerie Rob Koudijs, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Galerie Rob Koudijs plays a critical role in the Dutch jewelry community. Rob Koudijs responds to some questions posed by Kamal Nassif.

Kamal Nassif: What do you hope to achieve with your gallery? How do you measure success?

Rob Koudijs: We think contemporary jewelry is a great medium. For more then 30 years, jewelry artists have managed to surprise us and tempt us to buy and wear their work. With Galerie Rob Koudijs, we have the opportunity to support the careers of artists who have excited us for many years and to introduce new, fresh, and promising talents. We enjoy contributing to the development of this field immensely!