Key takeaways
• Art Jewelry Forum is hosting an event this September at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, to celebrate contemporary jewelry.
• The program features the first solo US presentations of avant-garde artists Bernhard Schobinger and Dorothea Prühl, alongside an international symposium.
• Attendees will receive exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the museum’s jewelry collection storage with prominent curators and collectors.
This September, join AJF for an exceptional few days celebrating contemporary jewelry at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This celebration includes an international symposium, private collections, curator-led experiences, the first solo US presentations of Bernhard Schobinger and Dorothea Prühl, and now a very special opportunity to go behind the scenes of one of the foremost contemporary jewelry collections in the country, with the curators and collectors who help shape it.
Registration is now open to AJF members at all levels.
NEW! Behind the scenes at MFAH with special guests
We’re excited to add an exciting new experience to our Houston itinerary: special access to the jewelry collection storage at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, home to one of the foremost collections of contemporary jewelry. Along with other works, we will
see pieces donated to the museum by renowned collectors Helen Williams Drutt English and Susan Cummins, who will join us for this intimate visit!
Curators Cindi Strauss and Elizabeth Essner will share a special selection of works from the MFAH’s collection. Together, we’ll view selected pieces up close, learn from the curators about the museum’s impressive holdings, and engage informally with these passionate collectors about the jewelry, the collections they built, and their significance to the field.
Two landmark exhibitions + an international symposium
Celebrate the first solo US presentations of Bernhard Schobinger and Dorothea Prühl at MFAH. Each exhibition spans nearly 50 years of work by these important avant-garde jewelry artists.
At Perspectives on Contemporary Jewelry: An International Symposium, an international group of scholars, curators, and artists will bring new perspectives to their practices and explore contemporary jewelry in dialogue with political and cultural history and contemporary art.
Speakers include Renate Luckner-Bien, Iris Eichenberg, Claudia Schmuckli, and Cindi Strauss, followed by a reception celebrating both exhibitions—the perfect opportunity to gather with fellow collectors, artists, and enthusiasts.
More insider access across Houston:
- More behind the scenes at MFAH: Join curator and AJF board member Cindi Strauss to explore the Glassell School of Art’s jewelry and metalsmithing studios and get up close with works by Prühl, Schobinger, Bertoia, and the dazzling For Your Eyes Only collection
- Houston Center for Contemporary Craft: Experience Material Inheritance: Silver Anniversary and Iconoglass, meet resident artists, and enjoy a special viewing of jewelry by Houston Metal Arts Guild creators
- Two private contemporary jewelry collections: An experience arranged just for AJF members
- Southern flavors: Enjoy delicious regional cooking and time together with fellow travelers
- And much more!
Houston is shaping up to be an exceptional gathering around contemporary jewelry, and this newly added MFAH experience offers the kind of intimate access and conversation that makes traveling with AJF so special.
A few seats remain! The trip is now open to all AJF members. To find out more and register, email danielle@artjewelryforum.org
(Top) Bernhard Schobinger, Lightning Rod Necklace, (center) Dorothea Prühl, Butterflies (Schmetterlinge), (bottom) The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
