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By Jamilla Coleman For the second year in a row, Savannah College of Art and Design students majoring in metals and jewelry, as well as alumni, were invited to attend and participate in a student design competition at the Atlanta Jewelry Show. The annual event gives independent jewelers the opportunity to meet with their local sales representatives and provides students from the college with a chance to network and display their work in a professional environment. “The Atlanta Jewelry Show is hosted by the Southern Jewelry Trade Association,” said professor Seliena Coyle. “It’s a trade show and therefore is not open to the general public, making this an excellent opportunity to not only visit but participate in a nationally recognized event. The Savannah College of Art and Design is the only school to be invited to participate.” Student and alumni pieces will be entered in the Annual SCAD Student Design Competition, with categories including Gold and Platinum, Silver, High-tech Design and Alternative Materials. The overall theme of this year’s competition is “Trip to the Movies.” Students have been challenged to design a commercial piece of jewelry inspired by the style, content and aesthetics of a particular movie of their choosing. “I’m excited to have my work selected for the show,” said graduate student Lisa Wigger. She began designing jewelry while working in the SCAD accounting department, taking courses in the evenings, and is now pursuing graduate studies full time. “I’ve only studied metals and jewelry for about a year and a half, so I feel like my skills are finally coming together where I am more confident in my abilities,” she said. Wigger is entering two rings made of sterling silver and brightly colored resin into the competition. “I recently went on a trip to Hawaii. The movie I selected was ‘Lilo and Stitch,’” she said. “I wanted to make pieces that are inspired by nature but also convey a playful theme with vivid colors.” She hopes to one day combine her jewelry experience with her accounting degree to go into business creating a limited production line of jewelry. Alumna Annie Aalto has been producing her line, Aalto Jewelry, since 2003. She said competitions are “very good exposure and a chance for those of us who are out of school to [have our work] critiqued.” Aalto, who graduated from SCAD in Spring 2002, also entered the competition last year -- winning third place for a piece of inlay jewelry she designed -- and had her portfolio reviewed by award-winning jewelry artist Robert Lee Morris. Such interaction is one of the primary reasons for the competition, said Coyle. “The possibility to network with leading manufacturers, designers and employers” is important, she said. “The students are encouraged to address the event in a professional way, bringing presentation packages with résumés, business cards and visuals, and they are encouraged to dress in a manner appropriate to such an important occasion. This could be the opportunity to secure an internship or employment.” Coyle said the competition challenges the students to design for a specific market, “channeling their creativity to [produce] pieces that fit within the context of a commercial reality.” Students must design to the highest technical standards while also considering the intended market for their piece, the wearability and its commercial appeal. Senior Jen Merchant, who won third place in the silver category at last year’s competition, is entering a bracelet in the high-tech design category. The piece is milled out of corian -- a versatile solid surfacing material manufactured by DuPont -- and incorporates “several small and large cubic zirconias set into silver tubing,” she said. “My piece is based on the movie ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,’ and is titled after the famous song ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,’” she said, referring to the movie’s popular musical number by Marilyn Monroe. “I used pink corian to remind onlookers of the ravishing pink dress that Monroe wears. The CZs … evoke the glamour and appeal of diamonds.” “It feels good to know that so many people will be seeing a piece that I have put so much time and effort into,” she said. “Partnering with a leading arts school like SCAD helps us further serve the jewelry industry in the Southeast region by encouraging and recognizing emerging young jewelry designers attending school in our region,” said SJTA Coordinator Wendy McGar. “The competition gives the industry a look into emerging talent right here in our region from one of the country’s foremost jewelry departments.” The guest judge for this year’s competition is Henry Dunay, a designer with 50 years of experience in the business and winner of many national and international awards for his work. Dunay’s celebrity clients include Tom Cruise, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Michael J. Fox, Elizabeth Taylor and Oprah Winfrey. In addition to judging the competition, he will lead a seminar exclusively for SCAD participants. The awards presentation takes place Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. at Cobb Galeria in Atlanta. Coleman is a publications editor.
By Monique Bos In conjunction with “Merge,” the fibers department’s open studio night, Working Class Studio is holding an open house Feb. 25 from 6-9 p.m. Shuttle buses will run between the fibers department in Gordon Hall, 439 E. Broad St., and Working Class Studio in Old Arch Hall, 233 W. Boundary St. “[It is] a great opportunity for people from all majors to check out the studio itself, which is amazing,” said Studio Director Sari Gunderson. “We’re also excited to show off the projects we’ve been working on this quarter. We’re inviting people to bring an item with them, such as a shirt or a piece of fabric or paper, and we’ll show them how to screen-print on it -- a make-your-own party favor.” Old Arch Hall is built into the brick bridge between the Weston House/Dyson House complex and Turner House. The entrance is located by the Weston House sign. For more information about the studio, call Gunderson at (912) 525-6300 or e-mail workingclass@scad.edu. Women’s history takes center stage The Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave., showcases women’s history month with an exhibition of photography and oral history, co-sponsored by Senior Citizen Inc. Artwork is displayed March 1 - April 10. The opening reception takes place March 3 from 5-7 p.m., followed by a women’s health public policy update at 7 p.m., co-sponsored by Planned Parenthood. Work by local photographers Ann Curry, Imke Lass and Joanna Knox is featured, along with interviews with Martha Faye, Anita Stripling, Maxine Harris, Ann Hudson and other Savannah women. In addition, students in photography classes at St. Vincent’s Academy interviewed and photographed their grandmothers. Quotes from interviews are displayed as part of the exhibition, and edited audio versions also are available online at www.sentientbean.com/women. “I got the idea for this project after we had an ERA event here at the Bean,” said co-owner Kelli Pearson. “Many of the women had been a part of the women’s rights movement, and in addition to their stories, they talked about the women who fought for rights at the turn of the last century. It’s so easy for us to take our rights for granted, and it’s so important that we cherish and protect them.” Other women’s history month events at the Sentient Bean include a Psychotronic Film Society showing of “Harold and Maude” March 23 at 7:30 p.m. “This I Know,” March 30 at 7 p.m., is a “public conversation” with two judges, Susan Tate from Athens and Louisa Abbot from Savannah. |
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