DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

2014

This is the end of a very successful year for Art Jewelry Forum. We have accomplished so much, and we couldn't have done it without you. A huge thanks to each and every one of you! Next month, I will give a full rundown of our accomplishments for 2014 and the challenges ahead in 2015.

2015 limited-edition AJF pin

by emiko oye

We have finally published a report on our September trip to Estonia and Sweden. Our tireless reporter Marion Fulk gives you a glimpse into the highlights. Those of you who went on the trip will have fun reliving it, and those who weren't able to join us can see what they missed. Enjoy.

As we approach the end of this year, we have saved two announcements until this month. First is the design of next year's pin. The board chose emiko oye for 2015. We loved her concept of an interactive piece that gives its owners a chance to exercise their own creativity. (See the section below for a full description.) I would love to see photos of how you added to your pin on our Facebook page!

And last, but not least, is the announcement of the winner of the AJF Artist Award. The finalists are listed below and the winner will be announced on December 10. Very exciting--stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you're choosing a gift for someone this holiday season, consider a piece of jewelry from one of our stellar gallery supporters, buy one of our books, or sign up a friend as an AJF donor. Anything you do will help in its own way to support art jewelry.

I raise my glass high. Here's to you.

Susan Cummins

AJF Chair

Spread the Word! Get the AJF logo & add it to your site.

Friend us on Facebook.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST SUPPORTERS

We are delighted to introduce our newest supporters: the Copenhagen Goldsmith's Guild and Arlene Oppenheim. They became part of the AJF community in the past month. Thanks! You can find a complete list of our supporters on the website.

THE AJF 2015 LIMITED-EDITION PIN IS HERE!

We are pleased to announce the newest AJF pin, designed by artist emiko oye. The pin is only available to AJF supporters beginning at the $125 level of support. We are excited to provide this opportunity to collect a unique and playful pin to our supporters.

While the pin is available in five colors, AJF regrets that it cannot honor specific color requests. Instead, if you want to exchange the color you receive, we hope you'll take this opportunity to meet other supporters of AJF, through social media or social events, to trade for the color you want. It will be a great way to meet other like-minded supporters of the field of contemporary jewelry!

AJF wishes to thank the following: Doug Bucci for making all the arrangements; Barbara Berlin and Barbara Waldman, art jewelry collectors and long-time supporters of AJF, for funding the project; and Natalya Brooks at Print Group for donating the packaging, which she helped design, for the pins.

Read the full press release here.

AJF ARTIST AWARD FINALISTS

The five finalists for the AJF Artist Award were announced last month and are being individually featured on AJF's Facebook feed. Check them out there or on the website. The winner will be announced on December 10. Oh, the suspense!

Attai Chan

Benedikt Fischer

Kim Heejoo

Lauren Kalman

Suelji Kwon

TALENTE: 2015 Participants

Here's the listing of the Talente 2015 participants.

The work of these 100 young artists, who work in a variety of fields including contemporary jewelry, will be shown in conjunction with Schmuck in Munich.

IN MEMORY OF MARGARET WEST

Julie Ewington writes a touching remembrance of Margaret West, an Australian jeweler and sculptor who passed away recently:

Margaret West lived a life rich beyond most imaginations. And it was on her own terms, through intellectual energy, fierce love of beauty, and compassion. From what was originally a wide-ranging creative project, Margaret came to value compression, reduction, the exquisite exercise of precise choice--in jewelry and poetry, and recently in dialogues between them. Read more...

AJF TRIP: Sweden and Estonia

AJF organizes international trips for our supporters to take them behind the scenes in museums, galleries, schools, and artist studios, to see what it really takes to make contemporary jewelry a reality. It's a great way to learn about a new country and different ways of making and presenting work. The most recent trip was to Sweden and Estonia this past September.

Marion Fulk, an intrepid collector and the treasurer of AJF, reports on the exciting events. The next trip will be to Barcelona in fall 2015! Read more...

FEATURED INTERVIEW: Alba Cappellieri

Laura Rysman sits down with Alba Cappellieri to get her take on contemporary jewelry, design, digital fabrication, and the intersection of the three. Cappellieri is the newly appointed director of the new jewelry museum in Vincenza, Italy, Museo del Gioiello di Vicenza, which will open on December 19, and the author of many books on design and contemporary jewelry.

She sees the future of jewelry in the implementation of technology, a subject that is complex and fascinating. We hope you enjoy her thoughts on the subject. Read more...

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Discount on Arnoldsche books for AJF Supporters

AJF has arranged with Arnoldsche Art Publishers and its distributor, ACC Distribution, to give AJF supporters a big discount on all of their great books. It's our way of showing our appreciation for your support! Just go to the appropriate website (see below) and, upon checkout, answer the question Do you have a promotional code? by typing in AJF.

If you live in the United States or Canada go here.

If you live anywhere else go here.

MEDIA SIGHTINGS

NECLUMI - a probable future of jewellery?

Beam my neck up, Scotty!

Polish brand launches necklace made of light rays.

Shout out to makers from Jonathan Ive of Apple.

FEATURED GALLERIES

Aaron Faber Gallery
Sydney Lynch: Interpreting Her World
November 24 - December 31, 2014

Gallery S O
Peter Bauhuis: Armillaria
December 4, 2014 - January 4, 2015

Gravers Lane Gallery
Rebecca Myers
December 10 - 31, 2014

Heidi Lowe Gallery
Aimee Petkus
December 13, 2014

Maurer Zilioli
Rudolf Bott
November 20 - 29, 2014

Platina
Andrea Wagner: ... And the Architect is Still Facing His Jardin Int�rieur
November 27 - December 23, 2014

AJF PUBLICATIONS

These books make a great addition to any craft-conscious library!

<<< Damian Skinner's survey of different facets of the field, Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective, with contributions from many thinkers on the topic, is a great introduction to the wide world of contemporary jewelry.

>>> Benjamin Lignel's AJF Best of Interviews is a look behind the scenes into the private thoughts of makers, curators, and collectors.

SUPPORT AJF

Take advantage of Amazon's new feature, AmazonSmile.

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Art Jewelry Forum every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as at Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price (0.5%) to AJF.

You shop. Amazon gives to Art Jewelry Forum.