Studio Jewelry: From Mid-Century to the Present Century

From the east coast to the west coast and in between, with a lack of formal metals education, jewelers were looking for ways to develop their voice and create a “wearable” art form. “Studio Jewelry: From Mid-Century to the Present Century” is a survey of studio jewelry as it developed in the US and Europe post-World War II as part of the broader studio craft movement.

Relying mostly on their own entrepreneurial spirits they led the charge for change. Recognized by museum curators across the country, who organized groundbreaking jewelry exhibitions, they banded to create metal guilds and were collected by women who considered themselves patrons of the arts. Not unlike today, these jewelers lived in a challenging time both socially and politically and used jewelry, their medium of choice, to communicate with the world at large. These young jewelers, inspired by current trends in fine art and design have become part of the cannon of studio jewelry. During the five-week course, we will take a deep dive into the work of Alexander Calder, Sam Kramer, Margaret de Patta, Art Smith, Winfreid Mason, Ed Weiner, Earl Pardon, Claire Falkenstein, merryrenk, Frank Rebajes, Harry Bertoia, Betty Cooke, Peter Macchiarini, and others. We will also explore the work of the generations of studio jewelers who carried on the legacy of their predecessors into modern times, including Sharon Church, Eleanor Moty, Peter Chang, Kiff Slemmons, Keith Lewis, and Joyce J. Scott.

The class will consist of three lectures and two guest speakers: on March 20 we will be joined by artist Joyce J. Scott and on March 27 by gallerist and collector Mike Holmes.