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Premiere: Kings of Pastry
Directed by Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker
Fri, Oct 29 5:00 PM Fri, Oct 29 7:00 PM Sat, Oct 30 1:00 PM Sat, Oct 30 7:00 PM Sun, Oct 31 1:00 PM
 more info
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Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection
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On view through January 27, 2008 at the Audrey Jones Beck Building
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Jana Syvänoja, Necklace, 1994, 2002.4119
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Helen Williams Drutt Collection, museum purchase.
In 2002, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, acquired the Helen Williams Drutt Collection of contemporary jewelry. Comprised of 720 pieces of jewelry dating from 1963 to the present, the collection provides a global look at the field. Over 175 artists from 18 different countries are represented in the holdings.
Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection fully explores the impact of contemporary jewelry as a global art form. The goal of the exhibition is to broaden the understanding of contemporary jewelry through a multilayered, critical assessment of the history, issues, and most importantly, the jewelry itself. Placed in context with seminal movements in the non-craft art world, the exhibition encourages the appreciation of contemporary jewelry beyond its traditional boundaries without ignoring its roots. Approximately 300 objects, including about 275 pieces of jewelry, 20 drawings and watercolors, and 3 constructions and sculptures are included in the exhibition.
The exhibition begins in the 1960s, when a dramatic shift occurred in how ornament and jewelry were perceived. Breaking with tradition, artists placed their works within larger artistic movements, signaling a period of independence in which concepts and ideas were valued more than precious materials. In Europe, artists such as Claus Bury, Gijs Bakker, Gerd Rothmann, and Emmy van Leersum incorporated alternative materials into their dynamic, often sculptural, pieces. The influence of these avant-garde artists, based in Germany and the Netherlands, on jewelry artists in Europe and particularly America, cannot be overstated. Their work in the exhibition includes seminal pieces from this era as well as drawings. American jewelers were exposed to Claus Bury´s jewelry through his Philadelphia lectures in 1973, his teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1979, and his visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as the Objects to Wear exhibition of Dutch jewelry that toured the United States in 1969.
In America, Stanley Lechtzin´s innovative use of industrial technology made possible the development of organic forms and the fusion of diverse materials, while Albert Paley developed a forged aesthetic that boldly challenged the prevailing traditions. Lechtzin, Paley, and Olaf Skoogfors´s residencies at the Tyler School of Arts and the Philadelphia College of Arts made Philadelphia an early center for progressive jewelry. The jewelry department at RISD also played a vital role by hosting European jewelers for workshops, teaching fellowships, and lectures.
The growing sense of community in the 1970s is captured by examining the importance of university programs, exhibitions such as Objects USA, journals, and the establishment of galleries such as Electrum in London, Galerie am Graben in Vienna, Galerie Ra in Amsterdam and Helen Drutt:Philadelphia. This community accelerated artistic development across geographical lines resulting in a widespread use of plastics, fiber, and other materials throughout the 1980s. It also began to encourage the building of collections by museums and private individuals.
The exhibition continues into the 1980s and 1990s demonstrating the growing maturity of American jewelry, as well as the development of second generation artists abroad. The avant-garde nature of the works, the artist´s sometimes controversial use of scale and form, as well as the reliance on concept and ideas are explored.
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The exhibition is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Generous funding is provided by:
The National Endowment for the Arts
The Rotasa Foundation
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
The Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design
The Mondriaan Foundation
Ms. Anne L. Kinder
The Consulate General of the Netherlands
Related Events:
Target Free First Sunday
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Sunday, November 4, 2007 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Artist-Led Gallery Talk
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Sunday, October 14, 2007 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Sunday, November 4, 2007 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Sunday, December 30, 2007 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Friday Afternoon Lecture: Re-Seeing the Power of Jewelry
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Friday, October 5, 2007 1:30 PM
Lunchtime Tour at the MFAH: Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Wednesday, November 28, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunchtime Tour: Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Friday, October 5, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Friday, October 12, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Friday, October 19, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Friday, October 26, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Lunchtime Tours at the MFAH: Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Thursday, October 4, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, October 11, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, October 18, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, October 25, 2007 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Members Daytime Preview
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Saturday, September 29, 2007 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
MFAH/Rice University Continuing Studies Course
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Thursday, October 4, 2007 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday, October 11, 2007 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday, October 18, 2007 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday, October 25, 2007 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday, November 1, 2007 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
November Artful Thursday: Points of View
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Thursday, November 15, 2007 6:30 PM
Patron-Plus Preview Party
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Friday, September 28, 2007 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Saturday Afternoon Lecture
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Saturday, October 6, 2007 4:00 PM
Saturday Afternoon Lecture: A Conversation with the Artists
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Saturday, October 13, 2007 4:00 PM
Spotlight Tour: Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection
At the Audrey Jones Beck Building
Saturday, October 6, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Saturday, October 13, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Saturday, October 20, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Saturday, October 27, 2007 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday, November 1, 2007 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Thursday, November 15, 2007 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Thursday, November 29, 2007 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Thursday, December 6, 2007 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, December 13, 2007 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, December 20, 2007 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
The 32nd Annual Ruth K. Shartle Symposium
On Contemporary Jewelry
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Saturday, September 29, 2007 1:00 PM
The 32nd Annual Ruth K. Shartle Symposium Keynote Address
At the Caroline Wiess Law Building
Friday, September 28, 2007 6:00 PM
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