Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : Upcoming shows

Think about visiting Tucson for the gem and mineral (and jewelry, tools, metals, wire...) shows! The Art Jewelry editors are.

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:55:00 GMT

It's November, and here in the Art Jewelry offices, our thoughts are turning to the Southwest — not because our Wisconsin locale means we've already got snow in the forecast, but because in February, the city of Tucson, Ariz., is inundated with countless vendors from every facet of the jewelry world. Every year, we make the trip to scout for new products, new discoveries, new contacts, and new friends. If you've never heard of the phenomenon that is Tucson, check out "How to Tackle Tucson." The article, written by editor and veteran Tucson-goer Hazel L. Wheaton, is a practical guide to what "Tucson" is, why you should go, and how to enjoy the experience.

For dates of the 2009 Tucson shows, go to www.visittucson.org. If you can't make it to Tucson, you can look for shows near you in our Events Calendar. You can also discuss shows, including Tucson, in Going to a Show? on our forum.

Enjoy!

—Kristin

If you're in Washington, D.C., visit the Smithsonian Trunk Show, September 20-21

Katie Streeter — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:39:00 GMT

It may be a little early for holiday shopping, but if you live in the Washington, D.C., area or if you'll be visiting in a few weeks, check out the Smithsonian Trunk Show.

The show, which takes place September 20-21, features jewelry and wearable art by 30 artists. Jewelry artists include Ayesha Mayadas, Holly Anne Mitchell, Carol Webb, Aaron Macsai, and Kiwon Wang. (See Aaron Macsai's Monet Pin, left).

Proceeds from the show benefit the Smithsonian Institution. For more information on the show, visit the Trunk Show's Web site: www.trunkshow.smithsonian.org.

Three days and counting

Addie Kidd — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 22:29:00 GMT

On Saturday morning I'll be on a plane headed to Tucson, AZ to attend their annual gem show bonanza. And the timing truly couldn't be better. Don't get me wrong, I love winter. (Really, I do.) But the weather here in Wisconsin has been hovering around the negatives with wind-chill factors as low at –35 F, making the sunny lands of Arizona a welcome sight.

I'm spending a week in Tucson, as are a number of my fellow colleagues here at the jewelry-making section (Bead&Button, Bead Style, and of course Art Jewelry) of the Kalmbach Publishing Co. headquarters. And though I'll mostly be indoors checking out the multitude of shows around the town, I'm planning to soak up as much sun as I possibly can. (I've determined that I'm solar-powered, and toward the end of winter, boy do my batteries need recharging!)

I've got my plan of attack for the week's gem, fossil, and mineral shows nearly hammered out, a list of contacts I'd like to meet with, an extra-comfy pair of shoes packed, and a "New Stones & Tools" budget that I'm sure will be remembered fondly as I likely zoom past it halfway through the week.

Are any of you folks heading out West (or East) for Tucson this year? Do you have any suggestions from years past for specific shows or booths to visit? And the all-important question: What about favorite restaurants?? A girl's gotta eat after all. And I'm personally looking forward to enjoying some spicy, authentic salsa after a hard day shopping, walking, and networking.

~Addie~

P.S. If you aren't going to Arizona this year, you can bring Tucson to you, though sadly without all that warm sunshine. Check out daily postings at the official "fly-on-the-wall" blog of the Tucson gem show.

And I wanted to pass this information on to you too: This will be the second year for The Learning Center at the Electric Park Venue. The Learning Center offers offers free classes and lectures daily, as well as cutting demonstrations and workshops. It runs from February 2nd to 16th. And in non-lecture times visitors can try their own hand at gem cutting with an expert to guide them. How much fun does that sound?!?

How Art Jewelry editors pick the projects for each issue

Kristin Sutter — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:38:00 GMT

Today we had our issue-planning meeting for the July issue. For those of you who enjoy thinking about a design for a piece of jewelry, making various sketches, playing with shape and color until you get an idea just right, you'll understand how exciting these meetings are, because we're essentially doing the same thing — playing around with the contents until we get the balance just right.

First of all, we unwrap everything — it's like Christmas. We open the boxes containing the jewelry that's been submitted for projects, and we put all the pieces on makeshift display. When we've finished ooh-ing and aah-ing, we start by considering what will be going on in the jewelry-making world when the issue hits the newsstands. Since the Fourth International PMC conference will be going on in July, we wanted to make sure we had a good selection of metal clay projects for our July issue.

In general, we go on to talk about cover pieces. Of course, we think that all the jewelry we accept is beautiful, but we need to make sure that the cover piece is especially striking, not only because we want to get your attention, but also because it has to hold its own amid a bunch of words on the page and a bunch of other magazines next to it on the newsstand. Sometimes, we save certain pieces for cover pieces, so a piece that's especially stunning might have to wait a few issues to get into the magazine.

After we pick our must-haves, we start filling in the rest of the issue with all the other media we want to cover: metals, polymer clay, mixed media, wire, chain mail, enameling, etc. and technique articles. We want a balanced variety of media and skill levels so that all of our readers, from beginner to advanced, are able to learn something exciting in each issue. We also consider visual style: If we choose a project that's very precise, we may try to choose another that's more organic or rugged.

At the end of the meeting, we do one last check: good mix of media, good mix of skill levels, good mix of styles. And we ask ourselves: will it be beautiful? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then the real work starts.

Upcoming craft shows

Katie Streeter — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:44:00 GMT

I don't enjoy shopping and have even managed to cut trips to the grocery store down to one each month. Craft shows are one of the few exceptions to my "I hate shopping" standpoint. If you also like attending craft shows, here are a few upcoming shows to add to your calendar.

Ornaments & Adornments, a sale that includes over 60 artists featuring jewelry, ceramics, baskets, and other crafts, will take place at the Milwaukee Art Museum on November 16–18, 2007.

Sugarloaf Craft Festivals are held in several eastern states and include sculpture, jewelry, fiber arts, and more.

Pratt Fine Arts Center, in Seattle, will offer jewelry, metal, glass, and more at their Holiday Art Sale on December 7–16, 2007.

To search for more upcoming events, visit our Events Calendar to search for shows and sales near you. Happy shopping!

SOFA Chicago or Bust!

Kristin Sutter — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:32:00 GMT

Art Jewelry's associate editors, Jill Erickson, Addie Kidd, and I, are heading down to the SOFA (Sculpture Objects & Functional Art) show in Chicago this Friday, November 2, 2008, at Navy Pier. We plan to be there when the doors open at 11 a.m. (The show goes until 8 p.m.) I've never been to the show, but I'm so excited! From what the other editors (the ones who have attended) tell me, it's the place to see beautiful art that's known for pushing boundaries. Ever since I saw the 2004 catalog, with its spike-in-the-heel glass slipper on the cover, I've been intrigued and hoping for a chance to go. Of course, scouting for jewelry and artists is the main reason we're going, but I'm also looking forward to seeing the furniture and anything that falls under the category of industrial design. A pitcher, silverware — how people design the things they encounter on a daily basis fascinates me.

The show has a lecture series that includes talks by some amazing jewelry artists: Anya Kivarkis, Sayumi Yokouchi, Susie Ganch, Graziano Visintin, Gerd Rothmann, Tod Pardon, Melissa Huff, Berd Munsteiner, Terhi Tolvanen, Evert Nijland, Marjorie Schick. I hope to have time to attend at least one!

I also hope to meet some of you there!

–Kristin