2011 Conference
Thanks Everyone for such a GREAT Conference!
See you next year!
Edge and Flow ~ July 22 - 24 in Salida CO
The title for this year's conference is Edge and Flow. We think you will agree that we have a wonderful line up of speakers again for this year's conference.
::: Michael Zobel :::
“A piece of jewellery is above all a concept, an idea. If on the one hand such a concept has to be subordinated to the material, it is on the other also deeply inspired by it. Trough the connection of precious metals, stones and unconventional materials I create unique objects, which make the extraordinary wearable. For over 40 years, this has been the stimulus and demand of my creative work.” ~ MichaelZobel
Michael Zobel may be described as a cosmopolitan of a modern kind:
born in 1942 in Tangier, Morocco, grown up in Barcelona, Spain,
followed by an apprenticeship as a goldsmith (1958–1961) and then a
degree in art and design at the School for Design in Pforzheim (1961 –
1964). His teacher, Professor Ullrich, “opened his eyes and showed
him the possibilities of jewellery design and the potentialities of forging
gold.” From 1965 on he worked as a designer of jewellery in the studio
of Henry Denys in France. In 1968 Zobel returned to Germany to
open his shop in Constance. Annick Denys and Michael Zobel have
been married for 35 years now, and their two daughters, Laetitia andJolanda, have grown up long since.
Michael Zobel gained international acceptance
because of his inventiveness and ideas. Already for
many years, he has been a member of “Aspects,“ an
acclaimed group of jewellery designers. Even without
deeply knowing Michael Zobel’s work, his many
international awards and prizes show that what he
does can be called international art; maybe it is even
more appropriate to say: world art. Without any
doubt, his works are internationally recognized and
of the highest standard.
In September 2003 he was appointed honorary
professor of the National University for architecture,
construction and transport in Kyrgyzstan. For several
years now, Michael Zobel has taken part in an
international, UNESCO-supported project called “The Great Silk Route: A Dialogue between East and
West,” which organizes exhibitions in various cities
in Asia and Europe.
On the first of February 2005, Michael Zobel handedover his business after 37 years to Peter Schmid, his
long time collaborator. Zobel will now continue to
work creatively and dedicate himself to work in the
studio, for which until now it was difficult to make
the time, while Schmid keeps the shop running.
::: Judith Kaufman :::
Connecticut jeweler Judith Kaufman is known for her elegant one-of-a-kind jewelry. Each piece is entirely made by hand, utilizing different colored gold and unique cuts of stones, which give her pieces a feeling of being an artifact, yet presents a futuristic look at the same time. Kaufman began making silver and brass jewelry in high school, and quickly had a sales staff selling her jewelry at other local schools. For a few years she did local art fairs, worked at a repair shop, and then opened her own studio at the Farmington Valley Arts Center. Her work has since been honored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, ACC, and her work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Art and Design in NYC. She has been a Lapidary Journal cover artist, and the subject of articles in the leading jewelry publications.
When asked about her inspirations, Kaufman laughed, “I can have an epiphany in a cup of coffee when cream is added.” She went on to explain, “I like to look at things close up. I take my Optiviser into the woods and look at things close up....things like pine needles stacked upon one another, or even floating on water. If you look in the most unexpected places, something winks at you and wants your attention.” She went on to say that she likes to design for clients who give her a free reign, someone with their own sense of style and confidence. We can look forward to a lively discussion and stunning photos when Judith Kaufman speaks of her own sense of style at the CoMA conference in July.
::: Tom Muir :::
Tom Muir’s childhood influences in art and metals has
pioneered his fine metal work of today. Muir’s family roots are
full of craftsmen from blacksmiths to jewelers; it is only natural
he continued the family tradition. Muir’s interest in the arts led
him to study drafting in high school, drawing at Georgia State
University and graduate school at Indiana University. At Indiana
University he studied Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing with
Randy Long and Leslie Leupp, whose influence is apparent in his
fine sculpture of the 1980’s. Since 1991, Muir has been a faculty
member at Bowling Green State University, where he is a
distinguished professor of the arts and serves as the head of the
Jewelry and Metalsmithing Department in the School of Art.
Tom’s imagination fills a wide range of influences from nature to American culture. Along with the interrelationship of form and meaning, he combines his love of craftsmanship and moveable parts to create complex, functional pieces. Tom Muir’s award winning work has been included in more than 400 national and international exhibitions and many public collections, including the White House Collection of American Crafts and the Smithsonian Institution.
::: Hoss Haley :::
Sculptor Hoss Haley has worked as a visual artist for more than twenty years, creating sculpture, paintings, and public art. Hoss’s work is in several collections including Lowes Corporation, McColl Center for Visual Art, and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, and he is represented by the Joie Lassiter Gallery. Hoss has been a resident artist at Penland School of Crafts and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Hoss Haley uses steel and concrete— ubiquitous industrial materials—to create two- and three-dimensional explorations of form, line, surface, and space. He favors industrial materials and fabrication methods, often building or adapting the machines and tools he uses to produce his work. Hoss learned machining and steel fabrication at an early age and then apprenticed as a blacksmith for several years in Texas and New Mexico. Decades later his work is heavily influenced both conceptually and aesthetically by the western landscape of his youth. His work grows from the interaction of vision, process, and an intimate knowledge of materials. Each of these elements contributes to the whole.
Hoss Haley lives and works in Asheville, NC.
::: Avi Good :::
Avi Good is the delightful daughter of last year’s popular conference presenter, Michael Good. Though her name is not as widely recognized as her father’s, Avi grew up in the industry and currently runs the family business. We promise that she will offer humorous and insightful tips on how to market and price your work.
Avi grew up in the modern jewelry design boom. “My parents lived in the backwoods of Maine, struggling to put food on the table,” she laughs as she speaks of her mother’s stories of how she slept under the cases at the famous Rhinebeck, NY craft festivals in the early 1970’s. “I have seen amazing and constant changes in the jewelry industry over the past 39 years. We have gone from one employee, Michael, to 20 and back again to eight. And with every shift, you have to reprice items.”
Throughout the ups and down, Michael Good’s jewelry has been a popular success and widely known and admired. Avi can speak to everyone in the jewelry business, from those who show at JCK, Couture, or ACC, to the small individual art jeweler. She has lived it and survived it! Her presentation will be informative and fun. We are delighted that her father, Michael, will again be present at the conference. “He really enjoyed the conference last year and is thrilled with the vision that CoMA is presenting,” she shares. Welcome, Avi.