It's that time of year when we tip our hats to what was significant about the year before. All the nominations and reminiscences have reminded me of the highlights I was asked by Art Jewelry Forum to write for the 2015 Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in Boston last May. I primarily wrote in AJF's juxtaposition category, and they only posted a few of my suggestions.
As I look forward to SNAGneXt in Asheville, North Carolina this May, I'd like to share more of the juxtapositions that stood out for me from last year's conference and its many exhibits. Enjoy! (They might not be what you expect.)
1. Ruddt Peters and Joyce Scott
One of the best juxtapositions of the conference comes from speakers Ruudt Peters and Joyce Scott. Peters, known for his postmodern, hyper-masculine forms, and ironically humorous performance art, declared in his talk that he prefers brooches to rings or necklaces because, "I do not like holes." Scott, whose expressionistic and African inspired beaded jewelry and sculpture deal with racism and rape, entered and exited the stage singing improvisationally with a range from deep gutsy blues to trained soprano. The two artists and their bodies of work could not be more opposite in philosophy or approach, yet within the same conference, they bookended the wild diversity that is SNAG.
Ruudt Peters
2mm Squared, SNAG Conference
Keynote Speaker, Boston, 2015
photo: Conor Vella
Joyce Scott
American Craft Council Fellow Speaker
SNAG Conference, Boston, 2015
photo: John Dean
2. Orbit I and Peculiar Sign Language: There (here)
The line quality of both pieces evokes a feeling of symbols as if when worn, they point out a secret message to the viewer.
Akiko Ban
Orbit 1
2013
2.25" x 1.5" x .375"
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
Enrica Prazaoli
Peculiar Sign Language: There (here)
2014
4" x 3" x 1"
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
3. Home Sweet Home and Good Girls Wear Pearls
These pieces surround the wearer who becomes part of the voyeuristic goings on in each section of the respective works. In Maeda's bracelet the three dimensional characters exist within surprising transparency. In Roderick's necklace the two-dimensional silhouetted people evoke Film Noire scenes by partially obscuring black and white images within each link.
Asagi Maeda
Home Sweet Home
5” x 4"; 2015
Journey Through Time: Explorations of Artful
Adornment and Sculptural Vessels Through the Ages,
Mobilia Gallery, Boston 2015
Photo: Asagi Maeda, Courtesy of Mobilia Gallery
Jennifer Roderick
Good Girls Wear Pearls
2015
Adorned Spaces, Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
4. Kama and Collier
The links of both necklaces invite the viewer to peer into the hemispherical forms. With Eichler's the viewer peers deeper into the links with. With Yujie's, the deeper the viewer peers into the links, the more the viewer's image is reflected back to him/her, creating the sense of rebounding from the necklace.
Dai Yujie
Kama
16" x 2" x 1.25"; 2014
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
Anja Eichler
Collier
2014
18" x 2" x 1.5
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
5. Choices and Invasion of the Bodie Snatchers
The sporadic placement of the components in each necklace creates a unique composition on the wearers. Alusitz's are partially open, whereas Eid's remain closed, yet both convey containment.
Cynthia Eid
Choices
16” x 6” x .25”; 2015
Journey Through Time: Explorations of Artful
Adornment and Sculptural Vessels Through the Ages
Mobilia Gallery, Boston 2015
photo: Cynthia Eid
Sylvie Alusitz
Invasion of the Bodie Snatchers
2015
22” x 11” x 1.25"
Momentum, Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
6. Array and Round Dahlia
Caballero-Perez's link focuses outward in a boldly embellished Aztec sun motif. Redman's link, also very dimensional, draws the viewer into the valleys and crevices. Together with the whiteness of the silver and in contrast with Caballero-Perez's solar link, Redman's link evokes a lunar feel.
Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez
Array
3.5" x 3.5" x .75" , 2015
An Auction of Masterful Links to Benefit SNAG
Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo by the artist
Jayne Redman
Round Dahlia
2.25" x 2.25" x .375"
2015
An Auction of Masterful Links to Benefit SNAG
Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo by the artist
7. Made for Amal Clooney and XI A Ring for Sarastro (Mozart Series) from An Alphabet of Rings Collection
These otherwise completely different pieces both use text to convey and define a message without making the text overly visually prominent. In Wong's work, the text becomes hidden when the piece is worn, symbolizing the spirit of the person whose hands would become imprisoned in the metal. No longer able to read the text, the wearer still physically feels and embodies it. In Coates' work, he uses hands themselves to frame the text. The viewer's eye reads the text while the ring's eye gazes back at the viewer. The sense of wearer and audience are blurred in the resulting connection.
Pin Wei Wong
Made for Amal Clooney
7" x 2.25" x 2" , 2015
Adorned Spaces, SNAG pop up exhibit space, Boston, 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
Kevin Coates
XI A Ring for Sarastro (Mozart Series)
from An Alphabet of Rings Collection
1.04" high x 1.06" wide, 2015
Journey Through Time: Explorations of Artful
Adornment and Sculptural Vessels Through the Ages
Mobilia Gallery, Boston, 2015
Photo: Clarissa Bruce, Courtesy of Mobilia Gallery
(Apologies for formatting issues. It took 4 drafts over 5 hours to get this laid out in its primitive form. Some days I think Blogger hates me.)
As I look forward to SNAGneXt in Asheville, North Carolina this May, I'd like to share more of the juxtapositions that stood out for me from last year's conference and its many exhibits. Enjoy! (They might not be what you expect.)
1. Ruddt Peters and Joyce Scott
One of the best juxtapositions of the conference comes from speakers Ruudt Peters and Joyce Scott. Peters, known for his postmodern, hyper-masculine forms, and ironically humorous performance art, declared in his talk that he prefers brooches to rings or necklaces because, "I do not like holes." Scott, whose expressionistic and African inspired beaded jewelry and sculpture deal with racism and rape, entered and exited the stage singing improvisationally with a range from deep gutsy blues to trained soprano. The two artists and their bodies of work could not be more opposite in philosophy or approach, yet within the same conference, they bookended the wild diversity that is SNAG.
Ruudt Peters
2mm Squared, SNAG Conference
Keynote Speaker, Boston, 2015
photo: Conor Vella
Joyce Scott
American Craft Council Fellow Speaker
SNAG Conference, Boston, 2015
photo: John Dean
2. Orbit I and Peculiar Sign Language: There (here)
The line quality of both pieces evokes a feeling of symbols as if when worn, they point out a secret message to the viewer.
Akiko Ban
Orbit 1
2013
2.25" x 1.5" x .375"
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
Enrica Prazaoli
Peculiar Sign Language: There (here)
2014
4" x 3" x 1"
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
3. Home Sweet Home and Good Girls Wear Pearls
These pieces surround the wearer who becomes part of the voyeuristic goings on in each section of the respective works. In Maeda's bracelet the three dimensional characters exist within surprising transparency. In Roderick's necklace the two-dimensional silhouetted people evoke Film Noire scenes by partially obscuring black and white images within each link.
Asagi Maeda
Home Sweet Home
5” x 4"; 2015
Journey Through Time: Explorations of Artful
Adornment and Sculptural Vessels Through the Ages,
Mobilia Gallery, Boston 2015
Photo: Asagi Maeda, Courtesy of Mobilia Gallery
Jennifer Roderick
Good Girls Wear Pearls
2015
Adorned Spaces, Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
4. Kama and Collier
The links of both necklaces invite the viewer to peer into the hemispherical forms. With Eichler's the viewer peers deeper into the links with. With Yujie's, the deeper the viewer peers into the links, the more the viewer's image is reflected back to him/her, creating the sense of rebounding from the necklace.
Dai Yujie
Kama
16" x 2" x 1.25"; 2014
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
Anja Eichler
Collier
2014
18" x 2" x 1.5
Alchimia: an Anthology
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
5. Choices and Invasion of the Bodie Snatchers
The sporadic placement of the components in each necklace creates a unique composition on the wearers. Alusitz's are partially open, whereas Eid's remain closed, yet both convey containment.
Cynthia Eid
Choices
16” x 6” x .25”; 2015
Journey Through Time: Explorations of Artful
Adornment and Sculptural Vessels Through the Ages
Mobilia Gallery, Boston 2015
photo: Cynthia Eid
Sylvie Alusitz
Invasion of the Bodie Snatchers
2015
22” x 11” x 1.25"
Momentum, Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
6. Array and Round Dahlia
Caballero-Perez's link focuses outward in a boldly embellished Aztec sun motif. Redman's link, also very dimensional, draws the viewer into the valleys and crevices. Together with the whiteness of the silver and in contrast with Caballero-Perez's solar link, Redman's link evokes a lunar feel.
Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez
Array
3.5" x 3.5" x .75" , 2015
An Auction of Masterful Links to Benefit SNAG
Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo by the artist
Jayne Redman
Round Dahlia
2.25" x 2.25" x .375"
2015
An Auction of Masterful Links to Benefit SNAG
Boston Park Plaza Hotel, Boston, 2015
photo by the artist
7. Made for Amal Clooney and XI A Ring for Sarastro (Mozart Series) from An Alphabet of Rings Collection
These otherwise completely different pieces both use text to convey and define a message without making the text overly visually prominent. In Wong's work, the text becomes hidden when the piece is worn, symbolizing the spirit of the person whose hands would become imprisoned in the metal. No longer able to read the text, the wearer still physically feels and embodies it. In Coates' work, he uses hands themselves to frame the text. The viewer's eye reads the text while the ring's eye gazes back at the viewer. The sense of wearer and audience are blurred in the resulting connection.
Pin Wei Wong
Made for Amal Clooney
7" x 2.25" x 2" , 2015
Adorned Spaces, SNAG pop up exhibit space, Boston, 2015
photo: Victoria Lansford
Kevin Coates
XI A Ring for Sarastro (Mozart Series)
from An Alphabet of Rings Collection
1.04" high x 1.06" wide, 2015
Journey Through Time: Explorations of Artful
Adornment and Sculptural Vessels Through the Ages
Mobilia Gallery, Boston, 2015
Photo: Clarissa Bruce, Courtesy of Mobilia Gallery
(Apologies for formatting issues. It took 4 drafts over 5 hours to get this laid out in its primitive form. Some days I think Blogger hates me.)
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