Contemporary American Art Jewelry Book

Jewelry as art is America's most provocative current art form. This is jewelry that must be evaluated, like fine art, for its ideas, inventions, intuitions, and content rather than for its precious materials or conformity to tradition. Yet it is art that can be worn, and as such has a unique advantage over all other mediums in its direct contact with the body, giving it an engaging intimacy. Since World War II, the field of art jewelry has bloomed prodigiously, thanks to the talents of a richly diverse group of practitioners who have explored the range of the art and the possibilities of the craft. Here, Susan Grant Lewin profiles 54 of the best artist/jewelers among a growing number who speak to jewelry's history and traditions as well as addressing contemporary conceptual and cultural issues. These 54 jewelers are showcased here with individual profiles, illustrated with several examples of their work, all reproduced in full color. A much-needed overview of this exciting new area, One of a Kind: American Art Jewelry Today discusses the definition of art jewelry, presents a history of the studio jewelry movement in America tracing the developments that have led up to the current period, and explores art jewelry's bonds with contemporary sculpture. Two forewords open the book: one by noted art critic Barbara Rose, who looks at the historical context of jewelry by artists and jewelry in art, and the other by Jack Lenor Larsen, America's foremost artist/artisan/designer. There are also essays by Suzanne Ramljak, editor-in-chief of Sculpture magazine, and art historian Toni Greenbaum. A glossary, bibliography, and index complete the book.