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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PITTSBURGH, PA – August 31, 2017 – Contemporary Craft (CC) presents the 2017 Exhibition in Print: Repair and Renewal (EiP) in partnership with the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) to reveal innovative approaches on how contemporary jewelry and metal objects are conceived, made, and displayed. EiP showcases outstanding metal artworks by over 20 artists and members of SNAG and will be on view from September 8, 2017 to November 25, 2017 at CC.
An annual feature in Metalsmith magazine with companion exhibition, the 2017 EiP focuses on the metalwork tradition and the capacity for restoration by highlighting artists from across the United States as well as Germany, Belgium, and Finland. These exhibiting artists give renewed life to objects and materials through innovative art expression rooted in traditional metalsmithing mediums such as silver, copper, and gold, and nontraditional found objects such as horsehair, syringes, soap, and credit cards. Besides prolonging the life of the object, the act of repair also speaks to our yearning to make things right and to make things whole again.
Keith Lewis and Bruce Metcalf, two of the exhibiting artists of EiP, considered the question of “How might the world look when what is broken can be made whole again using ingenuity and imagination?” Lewis electroformed Goodwill baskets to reflect on the loss of obtained value and idolization of everyday objects. Metcalf, a craftsman who makes voluptuous jewelry and a writer with a keen interest in craft criticism, worked with recycled doll parts in his exhibiting series to talk about the aesthetic of “perfectly calibrated chaos.” Through the artists’ work, subjects such as cultural traditions, environmental loss, and the fragility of modern society were explored with both traditional and nontraditional techniques and materials. Repairing and restoration is more than fixing – it is a metaphorical way to look at the role of makers.
Curated by Stuart Kestenbaum, Maine’s poet laureate and an honorary fellow of the American Craft Council, EiP features jewelry, sculpture and non-traditional wearable objects by emerging and established metalsmithing professionals and exposes the public to a variety of techniques and mediums.
For additional details or high-res images on the 2017 Exhibition in Print: Repair and Renewal exhibition, please contact Stephanie Sun at ssun@contemporarycraft.org.
FUNDERS
Support for this exhibition was provided in part by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, the Elizabeth R. Raphael Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Endowments, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Society of North American Goldsmiths.
ABOUT CONTEMPORARY CRAFT
Presenting contemporary art in craft media by regional, national, and international artists since 1971, CC offers cutting edge exhibitions focusing on multicultural diversity and non-mainstream art, as well as a range of studio workshops, community outreach programs, and a retail store. Through its mission of engaging the public in creative experiences through contemporary craft, CC offers meaningful art opportunities for 145,000 people a year through four core values: providing vital support for artists, filling critical gaps in public education; sharing cross cultural perspectives; and using art to build community.
CC is located at 2100 Smallman Street in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, PA. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Exhibition and informal, hands-on art activities in the Drop-In Studio are always free to the public. Contemporary Craft is committed to making its exhibitions, programs, and services accessible to the public. For questions related to accessible accommodations, please contact us. For more information, visit www.contemporarycraft.org or call 412.261.7003.
ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICAN GOLDSMITHS
The Society of North American GoldSmiths (SNAG) is an internationally recognized organization founded in 1969 with a current membership of more than 3,000 studio artists, educators, students, and others working in all metals, alternative materials, and all aspects of contemporary art, design, jewelry and metalsmithing. Metalsmith magazine is published by SNAG and gives a front row seat on the world of studio art and design in contemporary jewelry and metalsmithing. For over 30 years, coverage has spanned contemporary makers, artists in their studios, edgy work, production jewelry, fashion, hollowware, furniture, collectors’ collections, and much more. For more information visit www.snagmetalsmith.org.
