MARCH NEWSLETTER

2014

Our dinner for 50 in Munich sold out, and we are excited to see everyone there, if not at numerous other locations during this exciting week of exhibitions, installations, conversations, and dining. We will be selling both the Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective book plus our new booklet called AJF Best of Interviews at Galerie Marzee's booth at "Frame" in the large hall where Schmuck takes place. Our new booklet features a fantastic, exclusive interview with Dorothea Prühl, questions about a manifesto by Kerianne Quick and Matthew Friday, and all our favorite and sassy responses from collectors, curators, and artists to our interview questions. Come see us, and be sure to grab your copy.

We'll be using the hashtag #schmuck14 to report live from Munich on Twitter and Instagram. We hope you follow along and add what and whom you're seeing to the experience.

We added a new feature to our website called Disqus, and I urge you to take a look at it and give it a try. It appears at the end of each article. It is a new way to comment on our articles and interviews. What do you think? Do you have a response? We want to hear it!

Warmly,

Susan Cummins

AJF Chair

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NEW TO AJF

Please find a list of all our members/donors on our website, and check out this list of people who have recently joined us: Connie Czerwinski, Chris Massey, Vicki Mason, Shelley Norton, Stacey Lee Weber, Jaccqueline Wilkes, and Wendy Parker.

These new supporters became part of the AJF community in the past month. Thank you to each and every one of you.

MARCH 12, 2014: RELEASE DATE OF AJF BEST OF INTERVIEWS

AJF is proud to present AJF Best of Interviews. This publication is a selection of 20 interviews that together provides insights into contemporary jewelry's backstage. Teachers, makers, curators, collectors, designers, and dealers discuss how they do it, why they do it, and occasionally, with whom they do it.

We are particularly happy to present two unpublished interviews conducted specially for this publication: Dorothea Prühl--showcased this year in the Klassiker der Moderne exhibition at the Handwerksmesse--answers the questions of Benedikt Fischer and Iris Eichenberg. Matthew Friday and Kerianne Quick, meanwhile, discuss their Affective Craft Manifesto with Benjamin Lignel.

AJF Best of Interviews includes conversations with Madeleine Albright, Gijs Bakker, Jamie Bennett, Lola Brooks, Helen Drutt, Iris Eichenberg, Clo Fleiss, Warwick Freeman, Matthew Friday & Kerianne Quick, Ursula Ilse-Neuman, Yevgeniya Kaganovitch, Sally Marsland, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Helena and Lasse Pahlman, Sienna Patti, Bruce Pepich, Lindsay Pollock, Dorothea Prühl, 2Roses, and Tanel Veenre.

To Purchase this new publication for $20 before it is released, go to our website now. Make sure you get one before they are gone. It is a small edition. We will also have these on hand for sale at the Galerie Marzee booth at Schmuck.

MARCH 24, 2014: SPEAKERS TOUR AT EDINBURGH COLLEGE OF ART

The Edinburgh College of Art will sponsor a one-hour event on Monday, March 24, 2014 at 4.00 pm. It will be held at the school in the main lecture theater (Room E22), Lauriston Campus.

Sarah Rhodes will give a lecture called "Bridging the Divide: Cross-Cultural Collaboration in South Africa." Sarah was a contributor to the AJF book Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective, and this event is part of our ongoing collaboration with schools and museums to spearhead conversations about contemporary jewelry.

This talk will be open to the public for free.

APRIL 23, 2014: SNAG CONFERENCE

The 2014 SNAG conference, called From Grains to Gold, takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from April 23-26.

It looks like a spectacular lineup of speakers, including AJF board member Sofia Björkman, Sharon Church, Andy Cooperman, Lauren Fensterstock, Caroline Gore, Dr. Tanya Harrod, Mirjam Hiller, Rod Kelly, Cheryl Krismer, Marc Maiorana, Edgar Mosa, Kerianne Quick, George Sawyer, Jenni Sorkin, Rachel Timmins, and April Wood. There is also a series of speakers who are early in their career, including Venetia Dale, Seth Gould, Tova Lund, Seth Papac, and Gustav Reyes.

Go to the SNAG website to learn all about it and sign up.

APRIL 24, 2014: SPEAKERS TOUR AT CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS

London's Central Saint Martins is hosting the event "Contemporary Jewellery--Two Perspectives" with guest speakers Ben Lignel and Helen Carnac on Thursday April 24 at 6:00pm. A book signing will follow the lecture.

Ben and Helen are two contributors to the AJF book Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective, and this event is part of our ongoing collaboration with schools and museums to spearhead conversations about contemporary jewelry.

This event will take place in the LVMH Theatre, Kings Cross Campus, and it is open to students and staff from Central Stain Martins and other universities in London.

MAY 2014: NEW YORK EVENTS

Here are the special events we've planned for the week of May 9-14 in New York City. If you would like to attend any or all of these, please request some follow up information on specific events here.

Friday, May 9

Collective Design Fair

Mimosas with Ornamentum gallery at the Collective Fair

Gallery Loupe and Sienna Gallery are also exhibiting.

Sunday, May 11

6:30 pm AJF dinner at Bottino Restaurant, 246 Tenth Avenue, in the arty Chelsea district

Monday, May 12

Opening of the Donna Schneier collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tuesday, May 13

9:30 am Walkthrough of the Schneier collection with curator Jane Adlin at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

6:00-7:30 pm Panel discussion at the Museum of Arts and Design titled "Multiple Exposures: Contemporary Jewelry and the Photograph" jointly organized by Ursula Ilse-Neuman from MAD and Suzanne Ramljak, editor of Metalsmith magazine, with panelists Lauren Kalman, Robert Ebendorf, Bettina Speckner, and Lyle Rexer

7:00-9:00 pm Opening of Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography at the Museum of Arts and Design

Wednesday May 14

11:00 am Walkthrough of the exhibit Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography at MAD with curator Ursula Ilse-Neuman

GALLERY INTERVIEW: Klimt02, Barcelona, Spain

Klimt02
has both an online platform for the art jewelry community and a gallery located in Barcelona, Spain. It is owned by Amador Bertomeu and Leo Caballero and has become an influential and informative source of information for everyone interested in contemporary jewelry. In this interview, Amador and Leo, speaking as one, provide us with insight into the development of their business.

Missy Graff: What is your background? What led you to become involved in contemporary jewelry?

Klimt02: Our backgrounds are not directly related to jewelry but to creative fields such as painting and sculpture. We had different careers but we coincided on one thing: the creative potential of the jewelry artists and the contemporary art jewelry scene in general. We felt that some of the works were much more interesting than contemporary works in other artistic fields. Read more...

CATCHING UP WITH A PAST EAA WINNER: Farrah Al-Dujaili

Bonnie Levine: It's been several years since you won the emerging artist award. Looking back on it now, how did you come to apply for the award, and what was your reaction to winning it?

Farrah Al-Dujaili: At the time of the call out, I was trying to build up my profile within the art jewelry scene, having only graduated the previous year. The emerging artist award seemed like a great opportunity to do that. I entered never expecting to win, so when I received the email it came as a great surprise. I remember reading it multiple times to make sure I had understood it properly!