This year’s array of designers in MAD About Jewelry is among the most innovative the show has ever seen in terms of their materials—such as recycled roofing, pages from medical textbooks, tree bark, and repurposed industrial springs—says Bryna Pomp, director of the event.
The annual contemporary jewelry exhibition and pop-up sale at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York is open to the public May 5–8. It features 50 designers from 20 countries, including Cuba, Brazil, Colombia, Greece, Italy, France, Latvia, Taiwan, and South Korea.
“This is the best edition of MAD About Jewelry that we’ve ever had,” Pomp says. “People are giving materials a second life, like Anna Bonino of Milan, who loves the paper that was used in 20th-century medical textbooks and encyclopedias that she meticulously folds and makes earrings and pendants with.”
Pomp travels the globe to discover jewelry artisans for MAD About Jewelry, which serves as a jumping-off point for some designers’ careers and as Pomp’s salute to imagination, invention, and whimsy.
Not only does MAD About Jewelry provide a window into what’s happening in contemporary jewelry worldwide, it also gives visitors a chance to get to know the artists behind the extraordinary pieces on display, Pomp says.
“Yes, it’s a great milestone in their careers to be invited to participate. Yes, they’ll sell and have financial gain. But above that, they’ll have the opportunity to meet the public to hear comments about their work, as well as spend a week together with 49 other artists and jewelers from all over the world,” says Pomp. “The ties they develop during their time in the museum will impact their whole career. That makes me very happy.”
Pomp has bought pieces by many MAD About Jewelry participants over the past two decades, and she wears their jewelry in a show of her admiration. With an enthusiasm that’s contagious, she can describe every work in the 2024 MAD About Jewelry as well as special details about each artist.
For example, Pomp gushes about Hillary Jackson‘s “absolutely wonderful” jewelry, which is made with flowers and butterfly wings. She describes the colors and materials used by Isabelle Azaïs, who transforms single-use plastic bags and mylar balloons, as “spectacular.”
Pomp is also a fan of Castro Smith, calling him “a great emerging artist.” She says Smith’s signet ring engravings remind her of intricate tattoo work, and she admires the bright colors of his pieces.
Among glass artists in the show, Pomp mentions Austin Turley: “His work is very heavily textured, so it’s filled with crevices. His work is also very angular and architectural with lots of color, including seafoam green, saturated yellows, blues, whites, and reds.”
She also notes the technology involved in some of the designers’ jewelry-making: Mariangela Murgia, Alberto Catalano, and Sara Ortuzar are among those who use 3D-printed nylon and polylactic acid to construct their pieces, while Nana Watanabe blends embroidery work with computerized printing.
On May 4, MAD About Jewelry will hold a benefit preview and brunch, where patrons can meet the 2024 artists, and awards will be given to costume designer and stylist Patricia Field and accessories and jewelry designer Lisa “Lele” Sadoughi, for championing artistry in jewelry.
MAD is continuing the mentorship program it introduced to MAD About Jewelry in 2023. This year, three-time MAD About Jewelry participant Tara Locklear will be the artist liaison, helping participating jewelers with career advice.
“That’s my job—to find artists that no one has hear of before or who are emerging,” says Pomp. “I spend 365 days a year looking at portfolios from thousands of people to narrow it down to 50 that strike me as the perfect balance between materials, price point, accessibility. And you always have to have some that are more aspirational.”
Top: Shards necklace by Daphne Krinos, to be featured in MAD About Jewelry, May 5–8 at New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (photos courtesy of MAD)
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