2025 Jewelry Residency

The 92nd Street Y, New York is pleased to announce the selection of the Jewelry Center’s seventh annual Artist in Residence, Bettina Speckner of Germany. She will work at 92NY’s newly renovated studios August 19 through September 19, 2025 and hold an all-day, in person workshop September 10.

Bettina Speckner of Munich, Germany, studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Munich from 1984-1992, and has worked as a freelance artist since 1995. She exhibits, lectures and leads workshops globally, in Japan, Finland, Estonia, France, Australia, and the United States, among others. She has received many awards and accolades for her work including the prestigious Herbert Hoffmann Prize, the Prize of the State of Bavaria, and commendations for the Danner Prize. Her work is in numerous international private and public collections, including in New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In her application she cited her intention to create contemporary tintypes with photographs, a technique she finds “timeless.” She was inspired by her mother’s own student exchange experience traveling into New York harbor by boat from Germany in 1950 and taking photos that, when developed, were foggy and blurry, but to Speckner, reflect the unknown future her mother faced.

Speckner was chosen for the 92NY International Jewelry Residency program by a distinguished jury including Ron Anderson and David Rees of Ten Thousand Things, Jody Hanson of the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Jonathan Wahl, Senior Director of the 92NY Jewelry Center. Wahl said, “I am thrilled to welcome Bettina here to research New York imagery in her photo inspired jewelry. As with all of her work, I am sure it will be stunning.”

On Wednesday, September 10, Speckner will lead an all-day workshop “Cold Connections – Turning Found Objects into Treasures” from 10 am-4 pm, followed by a reception. Whether it’s a piece of driftwood, a rusted nail, broken porcelain, or an old key — every found object carries a story. But how do you turn it into something that is not only wearable but also valuable? She’ll explore the art of cold connections — techniques for joining materials without the use of heat or soldering. Attendees will explore the unconventional techniques she uses to transform seemingly everyday objects into unique pieces of jewelry, a process Speckner uses widely to create her transformative jewelry. Learn various techniques to join materials purely mechanically: with rivets, screws, tabs, wire coils or folded frames. The focus is on experimentation and design — not the perfect material or expensive precious metals. The challenge is to give the found object a new value — through its setting, through contrast, or through an exciting composition with other materials. The aim is not perfection, but transformation: to give a humble object a new voice through design, contrast, and thoughtful craftsmanship. The workshop encourages experimentation, personal expression, and the freedom to rethink what jewelry can be. By the end, you’ll leave with a self-made piece of art and a fresh perspective on value, materials, and the hidden beauty in the everyday.

This program is part of the Gilda and Henry Block School of the Arts.

92NY Jewelry Residency is supported by 92NY Board member, Kathy Chazen. Previous recipients of the award have included Shin-Ryeong Kim (2024), Sungho Cho (2023), Alexander Blank (2022), Claudia Lepik (2019), Ineke Heerkens (2018), and Göran Kling (2017).

About 92NY’s Jewelry Center

The Jewelry Center at 92NY is the place where artists and designers from the world of studio jewelry, fashion jewelry and academia meet to create, teach and connect. From its beginnings as a single metalworking class in 1930, the center has grown to become the largest and most highly regarded program of its kind in the nation, and the oldest open studio in New York City. Its stellar faculty spans the worlds of production and art and fosters a space where all aspects of jewelry design can be explored. Under the direction of esteemed artist Jonathan Wahl, the center serves more than 1,000 students a year through 55 weekly classes, weekend workshops and visiting artists. Four fully equipped studios enable specialized training in such techniques as enameling, goldsmithing, silversmithing, stone setting and wax carving, in addition to a formal Judaica metalsmithing program that is unique in the nation. The wide variety of classes and levels allows students to pursue comprehensive courses of study, whether a basic introduction for the absolute beginner, or advanced workshops and studio time for pre-professionals and professionals refining their skills. The center hosts the only Jewelry Artist in Residence program in New York City and is open to artists on an international scale. Truly multifaceted, the 92NY Jewelry Center is a New York City gem with an increasingly global profile. The 92NY Jewelry Artist Residency Program is supported by 92NY Board Member Kathy Chazen.