Exhibit at The Met — Jewelry: The Body Transformed

In mid December I traveled to NYC with my good friend, Diane, an abstract painter (dianenovetsky.com), to see the Met exhibit and to get steeped in art, mostly abstract, visiting many galleries in Chelsea and the upper east side. A highlight was a visit with a painter friend of Diane’s, Francine Tint (francinetint.com), in her home studio in Greenwich Village. The trip was so long overdue for me on so many levels. We walked much of the Highline, for the first time --- I must come back in the springtime when the gardens are in bloom! The sights, the smells, the crowds and clutter, this city is not for the faint of heart!

The Met exhibit, Jewelry: The Body Transformed, boldly sets out to define what jewelry is and why we wear it. It includes pieces dating back to 2600 B.C. and spanning the centuries up to the modern day. Beginning with a relationship to the body, jewelry has always been deeply rooted in personal identity, sometime provocative, about spirituality, power, and wealth. Especially heartwarming for me, this exhibit focuses on the notion that jewelry is not mere adornment, or something without utility, but rather, adorning the body is one of the most complicated and meaningful activities human beings engage in. We use jewelry to overcome fears, provoke desire, and inspire admiration. We adorn ourselves in an effort to feel complete. One thing I hadn’t known before, as the curators of the exhibit claim, is that jewelry was the very first human art form preceding cave paintings by tens of thousands of years.

If you're interested in learning more about the Met exhibit, go to their website (the show ends February 24, 2019): https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2018/jewelry

As a designer of jewelry in our pluralistic society, I am keenly aware of the necessity to define what my jewelry expresses on a personal and emotional level. My Groove collection expresses joy and creativity through an abstraction of shape and color. My Water collection expresses my gratitude and respect for our essential element. My Bebop collection expresses my love of funky spontaneity. I hope there's something in my work that speaks to you. :-)

Best wishes for a fantastic 2019! I hope to see and/or hear from you soon!

Nancy

Some photo highlights from the trip...

Hard to pick a favorite piece from the Met exhibit, but I just love this piece by Eugene Pijanowski (1986) and made out of something called Mizuhiki, which is a cord created from rice paper, an ancient Japanese art form. This piece is called "Oh I am Precious #7"

In a crowded city like NYC it's amazing to enter the gigantic spaces of some of these galleries. This is a sculpture by Phyllida Barlow, at the Hauser and Wirth Gallery.

Diane in front of a painting in progress at Francine Tint's studio in Greenwich Village.

Francine Tint and me.

A walk along the Highline exposes some amazing architecture. This one designed by Zaha Hadid.

Some cool eye candy, (ceramic donuts) and for the life of me I can't remember the artist's name!

This artist's work really wowed me. By sculptor, Ken Price.

Another by Ken Price.