Exhibitions Archive - metal
By technique
(for enamelling, see non-metallic materials)
Shakudō: from Samurai Ornaments to Jewelry
For one of the first exhibitions devoted to shakudō, L'ÉCOLE highlights the technique, uses and fascinating history of this black metal traditionally used in Japan for the decorative elements of samurai swords (tsuba, menuki, kozuka, etc). For this occasion, L'ÉCOLE is showcasing 36 pieces of jewellery with European mounts adorned with shakudō elements inlaid with gold, silver and copper, depicting Japanese scenes from the Edo period. All the pieces come from a single private collection, shown to the general public for the first time.
6/12/2024 - 13/04/2025
L’ÉCOLE Asia Pacific, Schools of Jewelry Arts, 510A, 5/F, K11 MUSEA 18 Salisbury Road, Hong Kong
Recreating Gesture: the Replica of the Celtic Torque of Montans
The aim of this collaborative adventure in experimental archeology was to achieve an understanding of the skills and techniques of a given period by reproducing the object studied. In this case, it is a Celtic neck collar discovered in 1843 at Montans in the Tarn region and dating back over 2,000 years.
3/07/2025 - 21/09/2025
L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts (Paris), Hôtel de Mercy-Argenteau, 16 bis, boulevard Montmartre, 75009 Paris, France
The Tools of Treasures Exhibit
The PJM is dedicated to preserving the history of American Jewellery. From famous designers to unknown artisans, our collection and archive encompasses all works from America's jewelled past. “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting to show the members of the public that all these beautiful pieces of jewelry came from, not what they would consider a tool, but these big chunks of blocks of steel that aren’t pretty at all,’” he says. “We felt it would be the first time that jewelry was ever exhibited with the tools that made it. Especially the die struck jewelry, the period from 1890-1940 when steel was really being used to produce jewelry. We’re able to show you these little treasures next to these tools. And the tools aren’t pretty. And so the juxtaposition of the beauty and the beast to us made us come up with this exhibit.” – Peter DiCristofaro
1/03/2017 - 30/04/2017
Providence Jewelry Museum, Technic Complex, 1 Spectacle Street, Cranston, RI 02910, USA
Different Tempers: Jewelry and Blacksmithing
Although jewelry and blacksmithing are both grounded in common materials, their practitioners are typically divided into two distinct fields. Curated by Suzanne Ramljak, Different Tempers bridges the distance between the jeweler's bench and the blacksmith's forge, highlighting their distinct properties and commonalities.
5/02/2010 - 28/03/2010
National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Treasures of Gold & Silver Wire, An exhibition to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of The Worshipful Company of Gold & Silver Wyre Drawers
This exhibition will display over 200 rare and beautiful items, dating from the 15th to 21st century, made of gold and silver wire sourced from Royalty, the Arts, Military, Ecclesiastical, and Civil sources, including gold embroidered royal regalia, such as Queen Mary's coronation robe from 1911, Queen Elizabeth II's coronation glove, and a fragment of the only surviving dress worn by Queen Elizabeth I. The exhibition goes beyond regal treasures and unveils gold-braided military uniforms, magnificent ecclesiastical vestments, and civic ceremonial robes, many of which were worn during the coronation of King Charles III, as well as the court suit worn by Charles Dickens, costumes worn by stars such as Helen Mirren, David Tennant, and the late Glenda Jackson, and the wedding garments worn by Clare Foy and Matt Smith as Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in Netflix's ‘The Crown’. Many of these objects have never been seen before in public. It will also feature items of jewellery and embroidery which have been made by the Freemen of the Company, as well as the Royal School of Needlework and the Glasgow School of Art. It is also planned to have a special demonstration of the art of wire drawing.
For a review of a special tour for SJH members, see JHT 49
30/09/2023 - 31/12/2023
Guildhall Art Gallery, Basinghall Street, City of London EC2V 5AE, UK
Drawn + Formed: Contemporary Work with Gold and Silver Wire
The craft of hand-drawing and using gold or silver round or flattened wire has a rich heritage. Craftspeople continue to learn and evolve this traditional skill, adapting it to the designs of today.
This exhibition will bring together a wide selection of craft work, from the intricate and beautiful jewellery of Andrew Lamb to the delicate detailed embroidery designs of Laura Baverstock. It will provide a unique insight into the process of drawing and working with wire; and will celebrate the very best UK craftspeople against a backdrop of historic work.
16/06/2022 - 15/09/2022
The Goldsmiths' Centre, 42 Britton Street, London EC1M 5AD, London
Tra fili d'argento e arte
Between silver threads and art
This exhibition is dedicated to one of the typical handicrafts of the region: filigree.
The art of working pure silver has been for decades, centuries even, one of the staples among the teachings of the School of Art, creating over time master goldsmiths capable of making splendid masterpieces of incomparable taste and refinement. Among the jewellery made of filigree (mainly in silver, but some parts also in gold) the trèmui, characteristic hair pins intended to adorn women's hairstyles in traditional costume, stand out. The flowers, reminiscent of those found in the meadows of Cortina, are made from wire worked to a thickness of only 0.08 cm, i.e. that of a single hair, and are finished with coloured pastes.
It is these, together with brooches, necklaces and other items, that are on display in the exhibition. A true act of love towards an art that is unfortunately disappearing along with its custodians, whose numbers are dwindling fast, but which deserves to be shown and exalted so that someone, perhaps impressed by the silver wonders, will decide to pick up the baton.
7/12/2022 – 10/04/2023
Museo Etnografico Regole d'Ampezzo, Via Marangoi, 1, I-32043 Cortina d'Ampezzo (BL), Italy
Filigree - Tradition & Innovation - An Exhibition of Handmade Maltese Filigree
The exhibition includes varied pieces of handmade Maltese filigree in both the traditional styles and in the more audacious and innovative forms. The aim of this public showcase of filigree is to highlight the flexibility of this Maltese form of silversmithing, as well as to reveal the more artistic aspect of filigree design. In fact, during the period of the exhibition, filigree jewellery designer Kevin Attard will be collaborating with a number of established and upcoming Maltese artists to develop a jewellery creation - pendant or earrings to their artistic design. Visitors to this exhibition may meet filigree makers and ask questions about the jewellery, observe filigree being made, meet an artist and eventually see each artist's design on display as the days go by.
08/10/2009 – 13/11/2009
Palazzo Castellania, Valletta, Malta
Faszination Damaszenerstahl - Klingen, Schmuck, Skulpturen
Travelling exhibition of over 150 pieces of damascene work by 34 artists from 8 European countries.
4/04/09 – 1/06/09
Bergbaumuseum des Kreises Altenkirchen, Herdorf-Sassenroth, Germany
By metal
Merveilles d’or et d’argent, trésors cachés et savoir-faire de la Manche
Organised by the Department, in partnership with the Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN), this exhibition is the result of more than two years of work. More than 200 pieces on the theme of metal, from 78 lenders, spanning the Middle Ages to the 20th century, will be exhibited in the Salle des Hôtes of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. During their visit, the public will be able to discover many previously unseen pieces, from both public and private collections, as well as the way in which the various craftsmen worked: art founders, pewter potters, tinsmiths and master goldsmiths. A contemporary showroom, installed in the chapel adjacent to the Salle des Hôtes, will complete the scenographic tour by highlighting living heritage companies and contemporary creators from our region. The history of metal is still alive!
A catalogue to discover the exhibition is available for purchase at the Fnac in Saint-Lô, on the Orep éditions website and at the exhibition venue.
18/09/2021 - 30/01/2022
Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel, 50170 Le Mont-Saint-Michel, France
Realizing the Neo-Palatial
This exhibition brings Metalsmith magazine’s annual Exhibition in Print to life at the Metal Museum. The printed exhibition was curated by celebrated author Garth Clark, who offered a guided tour of the palatial mode in contemporary metalsmithing and art. The Museum’s exhibition is drawn from the pages of the magazine, featuring opulent and lavish objects that share the splendor of the past but with timely twists and new materials. Metalsmith is a publication of The Society of North American Goldsmiths.
5/11/2010 - 9/01/2011
National Ornamental Metal Museum, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Gold
La forma dell’oro. Storie di gioielli dall’Italia antica
The Shape of gold. Stories of Jewellery from Ancient Italy
Jewellery has always been an expression of identity, a complement of seduction and beauty, a sign of bonds, customs, and fashions. Lustrous, incorruptible, and precious, gold is a noble material from which to craft elaborate ornaments. But the art of adornment also encompasses other metals, such as bronze, iron, and silver, as well as gems and glass pastes, organic compounds such as amber, shells, bones, and animal teeth, which tell a long history of technological experimentation and achievement, aesthetic taste, and artisanal creativity. At the same time, it is the story of lively contacts between the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, where the exchange of goods was combined with ideologies, behaviours, customs, and rituals in a dense blend of cultural influences.
The rich selection of objects of great historical and archaeological value offers a fascinating geographical and temporal journey through ancient Italy, from prehistory to the early Middle Ages. Ornaments and jewels convey not only beauty and uniqueness, but also the symbolic meanings, linked to the sacred, magical, power, and social prestige once attributed to these objects, still inspire fascination and wonder in those who view them.
12/06/2025 - 11/01/2026
Rocca Roveresca, Piazza Del Duca, 2, 60019 Senigallia (AN), Italy
Solid Gold
Opening on the occasion of the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary, 'Solid Gold' features more than 400 works, pairing showpieces from the collection with stunning international loans. The fashion world’s embrace of gold will be seen in standout designs by Anna Sui, Christian Dior, Demna, Gianfranco Ferré, Giorgio di Sant’Angelo, Halston, Mary McFadden, The Blonds, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Yves Saint Laurent. Gold-ground paintings and sculptures, coins, and other treasures will sparkle alongside jewellery by Alexander Calder, Belperron, Bulgari, Cartier, Charles Loloma, Jacob & Co, and Verdura — as well as grillz by Gabby Elan. While celebrating the seductive magic of this luminous material, the exhibition will also confront darker histories, inviting frank discussions about the human and environmental costs of extracting gold ore from the earth. 'Solid Gold' will immerse you in one of humankind’s most dazzling obsessions.
16/11/2024 - 6/07/2025
Brooklyn Museum, Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052, USA
Gold in America: Artistry, Memory, Power
For millennia, gold’s warm glow, resistance to corrosion, and rarity have made it a preferred material for objects meant to convey prestige, authority, or devotion. Drawing on the Yale University Art Gallery’s extraordinary holdings of American gold and augmented by paintings, photographs, and other works of art, 'Gold in America: Artistry, Memory, Power' is the first exhibition since 1963 to survey the role of gold in American art and culture. The exhibition considers a wide range of objects spanning more than 400 years, such as early colonial betrothal and mourning rings; a sumptuous Gilded Age coffee service by luxury retailer Tiffany and Company; rare coins made from ore mined during the Gold Rush; a pair of elaborate shoe buckles from the late 18th century that speaks to the wealth derived from the slave trade in the Caribbean; and works by contemporary artists who explore the medium’s historical associations as well as the environmental and human costs of its extraction from the earth. With over 70 examples of gold and related material, 'Gold in America' demonstrates our nation’s longtime fascination with this gleaming metal.
25/02/2022 – 10/07/2022
Yale University Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel Street (at York Street) New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Fool's Gold
2021 marks fifty years since the founding of The Dowse Art Museum in 1971—our golden anniversary. Fool’s Gold celebrates this moment by digging for gold in the collection, exploring some of the yellow, ochre and golden artworks that have been collected and treasured over the past fifty years. Fool’s Gold is the well-known nickname for the mineral, iron pyrite—a low-value material whose metallic lustre and pale brass-yellow hue gives it a superficial resemblance to real gold. However, like iron pyrite, all that glitters is not gold. This exhibition challenges you to consider the idea of value, and the ways we assign value to the things in our collection. Cultural value, historical value, monetary value—how do we determine the worth of the things we collect, and how might that sense of value change over time? From a golden Canterbury landscape to a gleaming pot scrubber, Fool’s Gold takes an inquisitive look at the golden moments and prized possessions at the heart of The Dowse collection.
2/02/2021 - 16/05/2021
The Dowse Art Museum, 45 Laings Road, Lower Hutt, PO Box 30396, 5040, New Zealand
Lauren Kalman: But if the Crime Is Beautiful.…
Taking up the subject of gold (specifically jewellery and adornment) as representative of power, wealth, and love, this exhibition, created by performance artist and metalsmith Lauren Kalman, is MAD's second POV exhibition in the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Jewelry Gallery. In reference to Austrian architect Adolf Loos' 1908 treatise "Ornament and Crime," in which he declared decoration regressive and fit only for degenerates and criminals (this included women and minorities), Kalman commits a "crime" by covering the inside and outside of MAD's jewelry cases with 2,000 golden brass leaves. Loos' theories laid the groundwork for modernism, known for its spareness, rectilinearity, and rationality. In this installation, the upright white cases in the jewellery gallery stand in for Loos' modernism.
20/10/2016 - 15/03/2017
Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), 2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019, USA
Gold
The beauty and symbolism of gold, from the Early Bronze Age to the 20th century, is celebrated through 50 items drawn from across the entire breadth of the Royal Collection. This exhibition explores the distinctive qualities that make this rare and precious metal an enduring expression of the highest status, both earthly and divine. Among the most striking examples on display are the Rillaton Cup, from a Bronze Age burial around 1700–1500 BC, a gold crown from Ecuador that pre-dates the Inca invasion, and an 18th-century tiger's head in gold and rock crystal from the throne of Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore in India.
7/11/2014 – 22/02/2015
The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA, UK
Antique gold jewellery exhibition
110 pieces of gold and silver jewellery and household items are exhibited in Southern Song Dynasty Official Kiln Museum. The antiques on display are from three dynasties: the Song Dynasty (960–1279), Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Most of them were unearthed in cellars and tombs in Jiangyin City. Before the Song Dynasty, there were strict rules about the use of gold and silver wares. Back then, gold and silver are exclusively associated with imperial families. Since the Song Dynasty, silver and gold have been used widely. Gold and silver wares from different dynasties are of different features. Gold and silver wares from the Song Dynasty are exquisite but simple; Those from the Yuan Dynasty are mostly household items with logos; While, those from the Yuan Dynasty are luxury, often embedded with various precious gemstones.
26/02/2014 - 3/05/2014
Southern Song Dynasty Official Kiln Museum, No.60, Nanfu Road, Hangzhou, 310008, China
Going for Gold
This special installation of objects from the Seattle Art Museum's collection will feature the glittering golden threads of French brocades, Imperial Chinese robes, Japanese kesas, and Persian bedcovers—all seen as rich backdrops to gleaming objects of beauty, such as powdered-gold lacquer boxes, a Fabergé cigarette case, a seated Buddha with gold inlay, and African hammered-gold earrings.
3/11/2012 - 17/11/2013
Seattle Art Museum Downtown, 1300 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101-2003, USA
Gold: Power and Allure
This exhibition is the most comprehensive and ambitious exhibition ever staged at Goldsmiths’ Hall. It powerfully tells the rich and previously untold story of Britain and its relationship with gold, demonstrating the country’s unique golden heritage. This major project showcases more than 400 gold items ranging in date from as early as 2500 BC to the present day. All the exhibits, displayed over three floors at Goldsmiths’ Hall, have been loaned from distinguished institutions and private collections and many have rarely been seen in public before
1/06/2012 – 28/07/2012
Goldsmiths’ Hall, Foster Lane, London EC2V 6BN, UK
GOLD
One of the most comprehensive exhibitions ever organized on this valued mineral, GOLD features a dramatic array of extraordinary geological specimens and cultural objects from around the world and presents the intriguing scientific and cultural story behind this cherished mineral. From ancient times to the modern age, this highly admired metal has been used in apparel, religious artifacts and adornment. Decorative items from around the world include a hammered-gold Chavin stirrup spout bottle (900-200 BCE), animal-shaped gold earrings from Greece (500-300 BCE), and a pair of chief's leather sandals with decorated gold floral ornaments from Ghana (early 1900s). Contemporary pieces include a necklace made of gold coins from the jeweler Bulgari, a brooch designed by Paloma Picasso for Tiffany and Company, and a gold and diamond necklace with palmette clip brooches by Cartier of Paris.
26/09/2009 – 3/01/2010
Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta, GA, USA
26/09/2009 – 3/01/2010
The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, USA
Silver
The Joy of Giving – silver donations
Nationalmuseum’s collections include many exquisite, representative examples of Swedish and European silver from the 16th century to the present day. This unique collection has come about partly as a result of many generous donations and financial contributions received over the years. This exhibition presents some 80 gifts received by the museum in recent decades.
The objects presented in the exhibition range from magnificent baroque and gracious rococo pieces to modern silver from the decades around the turn of the millennium. There are tankards, bowls, jewellery, candlesticks, vases and goblets – all of them silver.
5/07/2023 - 23/06/2024
Nationalmuseum, Södra Blasieholmshamnen 2, Stockholm, Sweden
The Eloquent Silver Curve: The Jewelry of Flora Book
Flora Book has combined her passion for elegant jewelry with her love of silver and life-long study of textiles. Unlike many other Northwest jewelry artists who favor narrative content and use found objects, Book has focused almost exclusively on the expressive possibilities offered by meticulous strands of slender silver beads.
Throughout her career, she has focused on constructing refined compositions that evoke the traditional functions of jewelry but also drape and flow with the wearer’s movements. Book describes her work as an effort to transform the hard metal beads into something soft and flexible, like a piece of fabric. Through her techniques, Book realized her vision to create jewelry that both shimmers like water and drapes like fabric—most eloquently seen in a work such as Cascade, on view in this gallery.
For most of the last decade, Book’s work has evolved into other textile processes such as knitting and machine stitching. These works continue her exploration of the contrast between soft and hard while embracing an aesthetic that is more relaxed and expressive. Her use of reclaimed Mylar from potato chip bags or knitted silver chain allows the forms to be less rigid than her earlier works. Yet, even with these less structured forms, Book cultivates her signature elegant style through the eloquent silver curve.
30/07/2011 to 5/02/2012
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA 98402, USA
Silverstruck
Silverstruck celebrates the current strength of contemporary silversmithing in the UK, reflecting new directions realised by traditional and cutting-edge techniques. Recently acquired pieces from the permanent collection of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales and the P&O Makower commissions housed with the museum are complemented by an exciting selection of new work by established and emerging makers.
12/02/2011 – 27/03/2011
Ruthin Craft Centre, Denbighshire, UK
Schoonhoven Silver Award
Schoonhoven in South Holland is well-known for its silversmiths and silver industry. No less than 55 artists from 12 countries participate in the fourth international design competition organized by the Silverart Foundation, to which the Schoonhoven Silver Award 2009 is connected. The theme of the competition is “Poetry in Silver”. The participating silversmiths, designers and artists will submit their work by mid-January 2009, after which the jury will appoint the Award winner in February of 2009. In the summer of 2009 the 55 objects will be on display in Design museum Gent. In collaboration with the Schoonhoven Silver Centre
04/07/09 – 13/09/09
Design museum, Ghent, Netherlands
Contemporary Silver: The Bishopsland Fellowship 1979 - 2009
A celebration of 30 years of collaberation between the V&A and the Bishopsland Educational Trust of the work and achievements of Fellows and Gang. This exciting display will include pieces by makers who have been through the Trust or those who have become affiliated with it through tutoring, commissions or as guest Fellows. Makers participating include Malcolm Appleby, Rod Kelly, Hiroshi Suzuki, Jane Short, Ndidi Ekubia and Lin Cheung to name but a few.
24/7/2009 – 19/9/2009
V&A Whiteley Silver Galleries, London, UK
Shona Marsh Bicentenary Silver Commission
This special exhibition commemorates the bicentenary of Matthew Boulton's death. The centrepiece of the exhibition will be a piece of contemporary silver created by silversmith Shona Marsh, commissioned by the Birmingham Assay Office. The exhibition will be on display in the new Temporary Exhibition Gallery at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter.
28/03/2009 - 6/09/2009
Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, UK
Vergeten generatie Nederlands zilver
New generation of Dutch silver
22/5/08 – 23/11/08
Nederlands Goud-, Zilver- en Klokkenmuseum, Schoonhoven, Netherlands
Other
Red Gold. The Miracle of Herrengrund
Mining, which was a major activity in the Saxon-Bohemian Ore Mountains from the twelfth century onwards, played a key role in shaping the character of the Dresden Kunstkammer, which was founded around 1560. Among the centerpieces of the collection were so-called Handsteine (literally 'hand stones'). These clumps of rock, the size of a hand, were extracted by miners and then tested for their ore content. In the Kunstkammer, they demonstrated the wealth and power of the Saxon ruling dynasty.
Further east, the Staré Hory Mountains in what is now Slovakia also provided coveted raw materials. More than 400 years ago, miners there made a sensational discovery near the village of Herrengrund (called Špania Dolina in Slovakian): iron tools left behind in the mine water were found to have turned into copper after several weeks. Goldsmiths then used this copper to make small gilded vessels, which celebrated the successes of the miners and became coveted collector‘s items.
They often feature an inscription referring to the seemingly miraculous transformation: "Iron I was, copper I am, gold covers me."
At the focus of the exhibition in the Grünes Gewölbe are works from the Middelschulte Foundation, one of the largest collections of such copper vessels. It is now on permanent loan to the museum in Leogang. These items are complemented by exhibits from Aachen, Bochum, Budapest, Munich, and Vienna, including spectacular table decorations in the form of miniature mountains comprising numerous mineral specimens.
29/08/2025 - 4/01/2026
Residenzschloss, Taschenberg 2, 01067 Dresden, Germany
Made at MAC: Working with Metal
This exhibition showcases and celebrates the talents of students and tutors who work with metal in our 12-week creative courses. A historically important craft and trade in Birmingham, metalworking is still used to create contemporary jewellery and stained glass pieces. Featuring over 70 pieces of work from 52 participants, and five of MAC’s talented Artist Tutors, the exhibition showcases the full breadth of metalwork produced in MAC’s studios. From delicate jewellery, silver filigree and silver spoons to soldered lead frames, explore the incredible range of work created in our studios. The exhibition also highlights the significance of Birmingham Assay Office in supporting the jewellery trade and pays tribute to historical craftsmen from local companies such as Hardman and Co.
8/03/2025 - 18/05/2025
Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park , Birmingham, B12 9QH, UK
Radical Jewelry Makeover: The Artist Project
In an age of growing concerns about the environment, supply chains, and ethical consumption, Ethical Metalsmiths’ Radical Jewelry Makeover (RJM) raises awareness about the interconnectivity between mining, the metal arts, activism, and collaboration. 'Radical Jewelry Makeover: The Artist Project' brings together jewellers working together to examine mining issues while making innovative jewelry from recycled sources. Volunteer “miners,” “smelters,” “refiners,” and metalsmiths join forces to recycle and reuse donated jewellery to create unique, innovative, handmade jewellery. Led by co-directors Susie Ganch and Kathleen Kennedy, RJM helps viewers to reconsider consumption and the impact of “reduce, reuse, recycle” in their own lives.
The Metal Museum will be exhibiting over 70 works by over 25 different artists that unleash their creativity to breathe new life into each item creating stunning pieces that embody both art and social consciousness. Through collaboration with artists and jewellery professionals, 'Radical Jewelry Makeover: The Artist Project' highlights the potential for social change and the significance of responsible sourcing.
4/02/2024 – 14/04/2024
The Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive, Memphis, TN 38106, USA
Master Metalsmith. Linda Watson: Looking Back
Lynda Watson, a native of Orange, California, knew she was destined to be an artist when she began making jewelry out of vacuum cleaner parts in a friend’s garage. Her official foray into the art world began with an AA in Commercial Art from Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa, CA) followed by a period of time spent working for the Buzza Cardozo greeting card company. Watson went on to attend California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach, CA), where she completed some undergraduate work in Drawing and Illustration before receiving a BA in General Crafts and Jewelry and MA and MFA in Jewelry/Metals.
The composite of Watson’s work forms a visual diary. It tells a story in a rough chronological order with some “life happens” gaps along the way. It continues to recall, document, relive, explore, and savor memorable times from the many places where she has spent her time. She hopes that viewing these pieces prompts memories from observers as well. Everyone has visual memories that can evoke valued responses.
2/10/2022 – 29/01/2023
The Metal Museum, 374 Metal Museum Drive, Memphis, TN 38106, USA
Elements: From Actinium to Zirconium
From Actinium to Zirconium, it’s time to get switched on to science with a journey along the periodic table! Get set for an odyssey that will take you from the rocks beneath your feet to the most distant and ancient reaches of the Universe. Behind much of our modern lifestyle lie elements that most people have never heard of - gallium and terbium in electric lights; tantalum - the rarest non-radioactive element in the Universe - in mobile phones; indium in touch screens; and a whole smorgasbord of elements, from the familiar copper to the downright exotic hafnium, in computer hard drives. Visitors will also be able to see how poisonous elements, such as lead, mercury and arsenic were used in fashion, cosmetics, and even medicine until surprisingly recently. Also how metals more commonly used in rocket nozzles and jet engines, such as titanium and niobium, are now being turned into beautiful jewellery.
6/03/2014 – 28/02/2016
Ulster Museum
Botanic Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5AB, Northern Ireland
Precious Titanium: technology and ornament
The exhibition will present the many applications of titanium. In the "Jewels" section, titanium and the technologies used for its production design become an opportunity for reflection by 33 masters and young designers of jewellery, a confrontation material played on the edge of experimentation and research. The works on display will show the techniques of metal processing technology in forming and finishing (Direct Manufacturing, Casting, Hot Stamping, Metal Injection Moulding, laser cutting, sanding, sand blasting, tumbling, Electro-sweet) and coloring ( Anodic Oxidation, Anodic Spark Deposition, Physical Vapor Deposition). Technological choices that affect the design and aesthetic features that are innovating in the field.
18/06/2010 – 1/08/2010
Triennale di Milano, Milan, Italy
Goldsmiths' Hall Public Exhibitions - Summer 2023
The Goldsmiths' Company opens the doors of the Goldsmiths' Hall for a brief public view of four spectacular exhibitions: 'Dorothy Hogg', 'The Art of Fame: Art Medals in the Goldsmiths' Company Collection 1973-2023', 'Celebrating Platinum' and 'New to the Collection'
30/05/2023 - 3/06/2023
Goldsmiths' Hall, Foster Lane London EC2V 6BN, UK
Best in Platinum
This exhibit showcases 17 award-winning pieces selected from a variety of platinum jewelry collections. The exhibit was assembled by Platinum Guild International (PGI), and is being shown together for the first time in the U.S.
1/12/2009 – 30/04/2010
The GIA Museum, Carlsbad CA, USA
Zart wie Eisen
Iron jewellery was a fashionable accessory during the first half of the 19th century. The brittle material was frequently designed along floral motifs; one centre of production was Berlin. Alongside selected pieces from the collection of Klaus-Peter und Judith Thomé from the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, works by the Hanauer Eisenkunstguss foundry are also on show.
19/05/2022 - 19/10/2022
Deutsche Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, Altstädter Markt 6, 63450 Hanau, Germany
Preußens Schwarzer Glanz
Prussia's Black Brilliance
On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Sayner Eisenkunstguss-Produktion in 1817/1818, modelled on its "sister companies" in Gleiwitz (now Gliwice, Poland) and Berlin, the establishment of the Sayn 1818 office and the appointment of Karl Ludwig Althans, mechanical engineer and architect of the cast iron Gießhalle, the Rheinische Eisenkunstguss Museum, in cooperation with the Schell Collection at Graz, the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin and the Association of International Friends of Cast Iron Art, presents a special exhibition of outstanding pieces of 'Berlin Iron', produced in the Royal Prussian foundries of Gleiwitz, Berlin and Sayn, and the private foundries of Devaranne, Meves and Geiß.
14/06/2018 - 16/10/2018
Rheinisches Eisenkunstguss-Museum, Schloss Sayn, Abteistraße 1, 56170 Bendorf-Sayn, Germany
Delicate Like Iron - Jewellery from a private collection
In the period from the late 18th to the mid-19th century, what is called iron jewellery was very popular: elaborate necklaces, bracelets, pendant earrings, brooches and even rings, filigreed like lace – yet cast from iron. The pieces’ unobtrusive material, clear-cut formal idiom and somewhat inaccessible character reflect the values embraced by society back then: constancy, modesty and reticence. In line with the taste of the time, they feature elements from Gothic architecture or floral ornamental motifs from classical antiquity, such as palmettes, acanthus and wine leaves. In addition to Berlin – from which the French term »fer de Berlin« derives – the city of Gleiwitz (now Gliwice in Poland) was also home to an important foundry. At first, iron jewellery was mainly used as mourning jewellery, and many women were wearing what are called »Louise pendants« or »Louise brooches« after the early death of the well-liked Prussian Queen Louise in 1810. During the time of the Napoleonic Wars of Liberation, iron jewellery was being worn increasingly as a political statement or symbol of patriotism, and was donned »to save the fatherland« following an appeal by Princess Marianne of Prussia in 1813 to donate gold jewellery in exchange for pieces made of iron. What enabled the production of delicate iron jewellery in the first place was the state of technological development back then as a necessary prerequisite for transforming the technically demanding designs into tangible pieces. Some of the designs were created by the state architect of Prussia, Karl Friedrich Schinkel. During World War I, iron jewellery became fashionable again in the shape of rings, brooches or medallions with the inscription »Gold gab ich für Eisen« (I gave gold for iron), for example. The exhibits are from the Klaus-Peter and Judith Thomé Collection.
16/07/2021 - 6/02/2022
Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim, Germany
Strength and Splendor: Wrought Iron from the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen
The world’s most important collection of wrought iron objects—door knockers, garden implements, jewelry, keyhole escutcheons, locks, bas reliefs, signs, strongboxes, surgical tools—from the Musée le Secq des Tournelles, will complement one of the most intriguing collections at the Barnes Foundation: the 887 pieces of European and American metalwork that punctuate the Foundation’s signature wall arrangements of old master and modern paintings. This exhibition will explore the fabrication, function, and intricate ornamentation of approximately 150 masterworks from the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen. They range in date from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century, and they show iron as unexpectedly versatile, with its capacity to convey both masculine heft and an impossibly fragile delicacy that is hard to square with its industrial image. Objects ennobled with silver and gold inlays show iron as more than base metal. Some are deadly serious in their efficacy; others delight as much by their wit as by their exquisite intricacy—locks that represent their own function, for example, one with a built-in faithful guard dog or one with spring-loaded manacles ready to catch a lock-pick—an 18th-century sign in the shape of a greyhound that looks like something Calder might have made two centuries later, an early electrified bat-shaped night-light.
19/09/2015 - 4/1/2016
The Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130, USA
"Iron Urge". Jewellery and objects made out of iron
The exhibition "Iron Urge" presents the works of alumni and masters degree students at the Department of Jewellery and Blacksmithing of the Estonian Academy of Arts. The young metal artists present their selection with the following description: "The exhibition concentrates on the use of iron and blacksmithing both in jewellery as well as in other objects. In the context of Europe, the use of iron to such a large extent in jewellery is unique, and certainly characteristic to contemporary Estonian jewellery". The exhibition is compiled and designed by Nils Hint and the Departement of Jewellery and Blacksmithing at the Estonian Academy of Art.
8/03/2014 - 11/05/2015
The Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, 17 Lai Street, 10133 Tallinn, Estonia
"In Eiserner Zeit”
During the Iron Age
During the "Iron Age" (War of Liberation) iron became a metaphor for the patriotic resistance against Napoleon and the pursuit of national renewal. In 1813 Frederick William III, King of Prussia, instigated the Iron Cross as an award in the fight against France. (Designer: Karl Friedrich Schinkel). During the First World War, the appeal to the population for sacrifice was renewed, but this time the call concerned the whole of Germany. "I gave gold for arms, I received iron in honour" was the inscription this time on the iron replacement jewellery, whose wearing effectivly demonstrated the old-new patriotism to the onlooker. This exhibition is a collaboration of the Museum Schloss Neu-Augustusburg in Weissenfels and the Kleihues-Bau Kornwestheim Museum. On display are over 100 exhibits on the subject, including a collection of patriotic iron jewellery from the collections of the Museum Weissenfels which have not previously been shown in public. Patriotic decorations and medals from the First World War provide a link into the 20th century.
22/02/2015 - 3/05/2015
Museum Schloss Neu-Augustusburg, Zeitzer Str. 4, 06667 Weißenfels, Germany
All that Glisters: 18th Century Steel Jewellery
In the 1700s, Wolverhampton was highly regarded as a centre for the production of cut steel jewellery. Fashionable brooches, buckles and buttons were carefully crafted by riveting steel 'gems' to a base of thin sheet metal and then individually shaped and polished. Although they were often worn as a substitute to precious jewels they were still quite expensive as buckles for a pair of shoes could take up to two weeks to handcraft.
9/05/2014 - 10/08/2014
Bantock House Museum, Finchfield Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV3 9LQ, UK