Speakers

May 15, 2010

Jamie Bennett (Study Day)
Jamie Bennett is a Professor of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz and co-directs the department with Professor Myra Mimlitsch- Gray. He is a three-time recipient of the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and has received a New York State fellowship twice, as well as numerous other awards. Mr. Bennett has exhibited extensively in the U.S. and abroad. His work is in permanent collections in over twenty museums in the world including The Museum of Art and Design in New York; The Kunst Museum in Oslo; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.; the Gallery of Western Australia in Perth; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

One of the pre-eminent enamellists in the world, Jamie's work is known for its meticulous use of color and ornamentation. His participation in many pioneering exhibitions such as Jewellery Moves at the National Museum of Scotland; New Times, New Thinking Jewellery in Europe and America at the National Museum of Wales; as well as a traveling museum exhibition of his solo works through 2010, underscore his influence and impact in contemporary jewelry.

www.newpaltz.edu


John Nels Hatleberg
John Hatleberg is a conceptual gem artist who is the world authority on creating exact replicas of famous diamonds. Working with the actual gems, Mr. Hatleberg has created replicas of the Hope, Centenary, Dresden Green, Eureka, Incomparable, Guinea Star, Portuguese, Blue Heart, Victoria Transvaal, Shah Jahan Table Cut, Excelsior I, McLean-Duchess of Windsor, Oppenheimer, Millennium Star, "White Lili", Steinmetz Pink, Heart of Eternity, Light of Peace, Jonker, Koh-i-Noor and Wittelsbach-Graff Diamonds.

DeBeers, the Smithsonian Institution, the South African government and the Dresden Green Vaults have invited this artist to work with their diamonds. Prominent jewelers including Cartier, Chopard, Thomas Farber, Laurence Graff, Robert Mouawad and Harry Winston have enlisted his talents.

Mr. Hatleberg served as a consultant to the Tower of London concerning the Koh-i-Noor for the permanent display Crowns and Diamonds. He was called as a consultant to Christie's for the third edition of Famous Diamonds and has lectured both alone and with the noted historian Ian Balfour at Sotheby's. In 2001 he consulted for the landmark Diamants exhibition in Paris. In 2005 his replica of the original Koh-i-Nor was exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London, a project that took thirteen years to realilze. Mr. Hatleberg is highlighted in Christie's book Twentieth Century Jewelry for his role as an artist jeweler. His private client jewelry has been featured in Vogue, Paris Vogue, W, Elle, Town and Country, TimeOut and on the cover of Vanity Fair.

www.johnhatleberg.com


Pat Flynn (Study Day)
Pat Flynn is widely recognized artist/goldsmith who has received three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship grants for his work. His work has been exhibited at more galleries and museums than we have room to mention but to name a few: Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin; Patina Gallery, Santa Fe; National Craft Gallery Kilkenny, Ireland; 92nd Street Y, New York City,Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, CA; DeNovo Gallery, Palo Alto, CA, JewelersWerk Galerie, Washington, D.C.; Art Institute of Chicago; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I.

Mr. Flynn is noted for his ability to combine non-precious materials, even found objects, with high karat gold and gemstones with grace and precision. His work is found in the permanent collections of several of the institutions mentioned above. He is also known as a gifted teacher.

Pat Flynn says of his work, “What attracts me to my work is the dichotomy that exists between materials and processes. The wildness of forging juxtaposed with elegant goldsmithing techniques. I am interested in the underlying tension that results from combining disparate materials such as steel and diamonds or gold and steel, in organic forms. My hope is that my work will go out into the world and communicate for me.”

www.patflynninc.com


Tom Herman (Study Day)
Since he was a boy, Tom Herman has been an artist. In 1982, he channeled his artistic talents into his new business, Seven Fingers Jewelers, named for his own handprint after having lost three fingers as a child in a Minnesota farming accident. Over the last 30 years, Tom has become a master jewelry maker, renowned for his talents at working with precious stones, metal carving, and unique designs.

Tom’s timeless pieces are inspired by organic forms and geometric balance. In designs that centerpiece precious stones, Tom begins by searching through piles of opals, agates, or other precious materials to find unique stones that, in his words, “are able to take on a greater meaning”. With this vision, Tom cuts each stone and frames it in a way to bring out its natural beauty.

Not all Tom’s pieces focus on precious stones; his precious metal carving is spectacular enough to stand alone. Some of his most popular carvings, including laurel, oak, and ginkgo leaves, have been rendered in earrings, rings, cufflinks, brooches, and bracelets. Throughout his work, Tom has cultivated his talents and created pieces of art that will be worn and admired for many generations to come.

www.sevenfingers.com


Ursula Ilse-Neuman
Ursula Ilse-Neuman joined the Museum of Arts and Design in 1992 and is presently Curator of Jewelry. She has curated more than thirty exhibitions in all media, including Elegant Armor: Jewelry from the MAD collection, GlassWear, Glass in Contemporary Jewelry, currently traveling extensively; Zero Karats: Jewelry from the Donna Schneier Collection, Radiant Geometries: Fifteen International Jewelers; Corporal Identity: Body Language 9th Triennial Exhibition: Form and Content in collaboration with the Museum of Applied Arts in Frankfurt, Germany; Defining Craft: Collecting for the New Millennium, Elegant Fantasy: The Jewelry of Arline Fisch, and Bauhaus Workshops: 1919-1933.

Ms. Ilse-Neuman has juried many competitions and is the author of numerous publications including “Glass in Contemporary Jewelry,” and her forthcoming book, Inspired Jewelry,” presenting highlights of the Museum of Arts and Design’s jewelry collection. She is multilingual and has lectured widely in the United States, Europe and Asia. She has worked collaboratively with institutions in Europe and Asia and exhibitions she has curated have traveled extensively in Europe, Japan and Taiwan.

She holds a Masters Degree in the History of Decorative Art, from the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (The New School) and has completed doctoral studies at the Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, and Culture. She is a member of the Board of Directors of MetalSmith magazine and her other professional affiliations include the International Curators Association (ICOM), the Glass Art Society (GAS), the Metropolitan Glass Club of New York, the Furniture Society, Art Table, and the American Museum Association (AMA).

www.madmuseum.org


Elyse Zorn Karlin
Elyse Zorn Karlin is the founder and executive editor of Adornment Magazine. She is also the author of the definitive book on jewelry of the Arts & Crafts Movement, Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts & Crafts Tradition and co-author of Imperishable Beauty: Art Nouveau Jewelry. She is author of seven other books.

Karlin is the past president of The American Society of Jewelry Historians and was editor of the organization’s newsletter for nine years. She writes on jewelry for a number of publications and is a well-known lecturer. She is co-director of the Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts (ASJRA) and The Annual Conference on Jewelry & Related Arts. She is listed in Who’s Who in American Women and Who’s Who in Authors, Writers and Poets.

www.jewelryandrelatedarts.com
www.asjra.net


Yvonne Markowitz
After working as a research fellow in the Egyptian section, Art of the Ancient World, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Yvonne J. Markowitz was appointed the Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry. The first curatorship of its kind in America, Markowitz oversees the museum’s exceptional collection of jewelry. She is also the past editor of the Journal of the American Society of Jewelry Historians and the editor of Adornment.

A frequent lecturer, she has published extensively in the area of ancient and contemporary jewelry and is the co-author of the books Artistic Luxury: Jewels from the House of Tiffany and Imperishable Beauty: Art Nouveau Jewelry. She is co-director of The Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts and The Annual Conference on Jewelry & the Related Arts.

www.mfa.org


Harrice Simons Miller
Harrice Miller is an internationally recognized jewelry historian, expert, consultant, appraiser and dealer in 20th Century vintage and couture costume jewelry. She is the author of four books about collectible costume jewelry. Three are illustrated price guides and the fourth is a coffee table book covering 30 years of Kenneth Jay Lane's career as a jewelry designer.

In 1995 Harrice pioneered the costume jewelry market for international auction house Christie’s East with the sale of Period Couture Clothing and Costume Jewelry. Subsequent to that highly successful auction, Harrice once again put Christie's East on the map with an important collection of French couture jewelry by legendary artisan Robert Goossens, designer for Chanel, Balenciaga, Dior and Grès.

Harrice has been featured on many television and radio broadcasts and has been the subject of articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Family Circle, Woman's World, Self, Art & Auction, Art & Antiques, Traditional Home and other national publications, in addition to jewelry and antique trade magazines. She and her jewelry collection were featured in the April issue of Japanese Vogue and she recently lectured on the subject of fashion and jewelry at Yale University and Pratt Institute.

Harrice lives and works in New York City, and has traveled frequently to the major capitals of Europe to buy and sell costume jewelry. She has an international clientele in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America.

In 2006 Harrice made a huge career shift and now produces East Indian classical music concerts in New York City and provides Indian music for corporate and private events. However, she remains true to her first passion, vintage costume jewelry, wearing it at every opportunity anddealing in the very highest end pieces for her select roster of clients.

www.harricemillercollection.com


Dr Jack Ogden
Dr Jack Ogden is Chief Executive of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A). He is the fourth generation of a well-known British jewelry business, but after gaining his Gem-A Diploma ('FGA') with distinction in 1971 he entered the consulting field, working with museums, auction houses, dealers and collectors worldwide advising within his specialist field of the history of jewelry materials and technology, with a special focus on problems of authenticity.

His 1982 book Jewellery of the Ancient World is still the standard work on ancient jewelry technology. He has recently completed a study of medieval Islamic goldsmithing techniques and is currently working on post-Renaissance jewelry technology. He is vice chairman of the UK Government Treasure Valuation Committee and an elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Between 1995 and 2000 he was Secretary General to CIBJO (The World Jewellery Confederation).

Jennifer Trask (Study Day)
If any artist can capture the essence of nature in jewelry, Jennifer Trask is certainly high up on the list. Not only do her jewels depict nature in an exquisite way, they often incorporate it as well–she’s been known to use pre-ban ivory, Japnese beetles, shells, and snake verterbrae in her jewelry among other unusual materials. She often incorporates bits of deconstructed antique and period jewels into her own pieces as well.

Jennifer holds an MFA from the prestigious metals program at SUNY/New Paltz and has had a number of solo exhibitions at galleries including Mobilia Gallery, Sybaris Gallery, and the Andora Gallery. She has been part of group exhibitions at Ornamentum Gallery, The Museum of Arts & Design, New York City, Velvet DaVinci Gallery, Susan Cummins Gallery, Yaw Gallery, and the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Recipient of the Peter S. Reed Foundation Grant, Trask's work is included in the public collections of The Museum of Art and Design in New York; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., The Arkansas Art Center, and the Rotasa Foundation.

Her work has been featured in American Craft Magazine, Metalsmith Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Adornment, The Magazine of Jewelry & Related Arts.

www.jennifertrask.com


Janet Zapata
Janet Zapata is an independent scholar and museum consultant, specializing in jewelry and silver. She received a BA degree in English from Upsala College and an MA in art history from Rutgers University. She is the author of The Jewelry and Enamels of Louis Comfort Tiffany; The Art of Zadora America’s Fabergé; The Jeweled Menagerie and The Jeweled Garden (2006) with Suzanne Tennenbaum; and Seaman Schepps: A Century of New York Jewelry Design with Amanda Vaill.

Ms. Zapata is a frequent contributor to Art & Antiques and The Magazine Antiques. She has curated several exhibitions including Tiffany: 150 Years of Gems and Jewelry at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City; The Nature of Diamonds, at the American Museum of Natural History, Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, Michigan, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto and The Field Museum, Chicago; The Silver of Tiffany & Co. 1850-1987 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Glitter and the Gold: Fashioning America’s Jewelry at The Newark Museum; Jewels of Time at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, New York; Gems of the East and West: The Doris Duke Jewelry Collection at Rough Point, Newport, Rhode Island; and Capturing the Sublime: The Enamels of Marilyn Druin at The Newark Museum. Ms. Zapata was featured on Tiffany: The Mark of Excellence, on the A&E Biography series.

Geza von Habsburg
Dr. von Habsburg, Archduke Géza of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, was born in Budapest and is the son of Archduke Joseph Francis of Austria and his wife Princess Anna of Saxony, a grandson of King Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and great-great grandson of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. He is a leading authority on Fabergé.

Dr. von Habsburg attended universities in Fribourg and Berne, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; and Florence, Italy, before earning his Ph.D. from the University of Fribourg in 1965. In 1966 he joined the staff of Christie, Manson & Woods Auctioneers as Chairman, Switzerland, overseeing a network of offices throughout Europe. In 1980 he became Chairman of European Operations for the company. Later in his career, he served for four years as Chairman, New York and Geneva, for Habsburg Fine Art International Auctioneers. At both organizations, his work specialized in silver and gold, objects of vertu and Russian art.

Dr. von Habsburg is an internationally renowned author with much of his career devoted to curatorial work for worldwide exhibitions including: Fabergé, Jeweller to the Tsars (1986-87) at Kunsthalle in Munich. Also, while as a Board Member with the Fabergé Arts Foundation, he was Chief Curator of Fabergé, Imperial Court Jeweler (1993-94), which was shownin St. Petersburg, Paris and London. He also served as Guest Curator of Fabergé in America, which toured five cities in the United States (1996-97).

As an educator, Dr. von Habsburg served as an adjunct professor for The New York School of Interior Design, The Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, and New York University. He is currently a lecturer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Some of his topics include "Princely Collections," "The Habsburgs as Collectors and Patrons of the Arts," and "Celebrated Habsburg Women."

Fluent in seven languages, Dr. von Habsburg joined the Fabergé Co. in 1994 as a consultant, spokesperson and lecturer. He has authored seven and co-written two books on Fabergé and related topics, as well as 75 articles which have been published in various art journals all over the world. In addition, he has been featured prominently in a Russian film a Japanese film and two biographies for the Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E), all in association with Fabergé. Dr. von Habsburg has also been featured in the A&E documentary, Treasures of the Habsburgs, and Habsburgs Today on the Romance Channel.


Information about our fall 2011 event will be posted here at a future date.