When Art and Jewels Merge...

The saying goes that "diamonds are a girls best friend". If that's true, any girl who like diamonds or precious stones in general needs to be at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA (near Boston) as they present Atelier Janiyé and the Legacy of Master Jeweler Miyé Matsukata.


Normally I try to whet your appetite for the exhibit being featured. But this time, words alone just won't do it justice. To compensate, read the press release and marvel at the art you will experience during the exhibition starting January 22, 2011 and running thru July 24, 2011:

Fuller Craft brings together for the first time a retrospective selection of Matsukata’s work alongside the work of her colleagues Nancy Wills Michel, Alexandra Solowij Watkins, and Yoshiko Yamamoto. These artists are known for combining precious and semi-precious stones along with found objects and antiques with high karat multi-textured gold; in life Matsukata contributed to changing the profile and reception of one-of-a-kind art jewelry and the jeweler as artist. 

Matsukata was at the vanguard of studio jewelers who, responding to the abstract expressionism of the period, began constructing painterly jewelry, composing abstract compositions in gold, semi-precious, and precious stones. Matsukata is best known for her use of fine gold and a liberal use of stones and other objects. Her travels in Egypt and Greece resulted in the collection and incorporation of Egyptian faience into her compositions, expanding to include a variety of ancient artifacts from Chinese coins to Mayan figurines. 

Matsukata is known for a degree of informality towards her use of precious materials. Diamonds and rubies, often provided by clients, were given no more emphasis than beach glass or tourmaline, and each was subservient to the expressive and open compositions of her forms.

You know you want to see this. The public reception is on Feb. 27, 2011, 2—5 p.m. at the Museum. The reception is free for members and free with museum admission for all others. For more information, including directions, open your Museums In Boston app, select List Art and choose Fuller Craft Museum. Simply touch the phone number to call Fuller Craft or touch the address for instant navigation via Google Navigation.