Get ready for an engaging and informative panel that dives deep into the highs and lows of exploring new paths and forging professional connections in today’s art world. This event will spotlight trailblazers from the art jewelry scene who’ve shook things up with inventive collaborations and/or daring ventures. During the hour, we’ll dive into stories of epic wins, epic fails, and the gritty reality of pushing boundaries, all aimed at inspiring and supporting each other’s growth and creativity. From artist residencies to creative partnerships, each panelist will share fresh perspectives on navigating the thrills and challenges of making an impact in our ever-evolving field. The panel will be moderated by art jeweler, educator, and AJF board member Emily Cobb with Funlola Coker, Melanie Georgacopoulos, Roxanne Simone, and Mallory Weston
Emily Cobb is a jewelry designer and maker living in Providence, Rhode Island. Her work illustrates emotions, experiences, and relationships through the abstraction and reconstruction of animal forms. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM from Tyler School of Art in 2012. Her work has been featured on the cover of Metalsmith Magazine and in publications such as Digital Handmade: Craftsmanship in the New Industrial Revolution and exhibited internationally in museums such as the Racine Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and HOW Art Museum. Emily is currently an Associate Professor of Jewelry and Metalsmithing at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston.
Perhaps it is her background in sculpture that leads Melanie Georgacopoulos to look at materials in such a unique way. Her exploration of the pearl, which started during her studies at the Royal College of Art has seen her slice, drill and facet pearls, fearlessly experimenting with them as a material through her skilful understanding of materials and traditional jewelry techniques. In Melanie’s work the paradoxical, intriguing nature of pearls and mother of pearl is at the core of every piece, whilst the aesthetic remains simple, structured and timeless. She continually strives to challenge the existing preconceptions of these organic materials and that of traditional jewelry design itself.Melanie became well known internationally for her work with pearls, leading to her collaboration with TASAKI, which began in 2013. Directional line M/G TASAKI was born, marrying Melanie’s flair to cross design boundaries with TASAKI’s world renowned craftsmanship.
Funlola Coker is a sculptor from Lagos, Nigeria.
Funlola’s work follows research threads in the realm of recollection, imagination, and the surreal. Embracing the literary style of biomythography, Funlola builds narrative sculptures that call on nostalgic memories and moments of the mundane held dear. Liminal spaces are explored in the context of Yoruba cosmology and African Futurism. Using materials and techniques based in craft, these sculptures suggest dream-like spaces – half remembered, yet sacred.
Roxanne Simone is a Black Caribbean British metal-based visual artist who applies a multidisciplinary approach to her work. Simone’s research into the complex dynamics of an intersectional diasporic body combines ethnographic fieldwork and an auto-ethnographic methodology. Simone challenges contemporary perceptions of race, queerness, gender, class, and the effects of repressive systems on healing through a non-linear exploration of time and futuristic possibilities. Within contemporary art, Simone’s metalwork artistic practice dives into reimagining physical and symbolic barriers, exploring objects, sculptures, image making, colour, and materiality.
Mallory Weston is an artist currently living and working in Philadelphia, PA. Her work involves a marriage between traditional jewelry techniques and textile techniques and she creates large-scale wearable pieces that allow metal to move with the fluidity of fabric. She received her MFA in Jewelry + Metalsmithing from Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 2013. Mallory currently works as an Assistant Professor of Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia.
Each November, NYC Jewelry Week proudly presents ‘The Week,’ a 7-day celebration dedicated to the art of jewelry. This annual event invites a global audience to explore the world of jewelry through a dynamic mix of in-person and virtual experiences, spanning New York City and beyond.
