As a curator I am always on the look out for new and exciting work in the applied arts. This might be for a particular exhibition I am working on, for future possibilities or retail opportunities. Before 2017 I had never had the chance to put together a show that concentrated on new talent, concentrating on graduates from the UK, but this is when I persuaded Ruthin to let me do it.
There are some risks when considering an exhibition such as this, mainly around the availability of work post study. Many graduates are not able to access studio or workshop facilities and if they are in demand after their final shows, their one collection of pieces can’t stretch in all directions. So although speed is of the essence: getting the show together and getting the work seen, there can be some limitations.
The annual graduate showcase New Designers - as I mentioned in post 4 - is a hotbed of talent and creativity. As part of the event there is a section devoted to makers that are already set up in business - usually somewhere between one and three years - called One Year On. It is a great opportunity to meet people who have taken the leap from student to designer/maker and are testing the waters of professional life (and in many cases making ingenious ripples!)
In 2017 during my annual pilgrimage I was lucky enough to meet Dovile Kondrasovaite. She was (and is) a Birmingham based jeweller who had studied in her home country of Lithuania at Vilnius Academy of Arts. Post graduation she had moved to the UK and set up as a maker. Her work struck me immediately as being very unusual in its use of materials; fresh and exciting. She used a combination of bog oak, amber and ebony; amber is particularly connected to her Baltic roots, but aware of its over use in history she considered (and considers) its use very carefully. The ebony is most often from reclaimed piano keys and so has no environmental impact, which is a super idea. The connection of place was lovely and she was making beautiful pieces inspired by the water and flow of time and life.
I was accompanied on that day by Dr Elizabeth Goring, former Curator of Modern Jewellery at the National Museum of Scotland, and her mother who is also a connoisseur and collector of contemporary craft. They too were very impressed with Dovile’s work and indeed a beautiful pair of earrings were purchased. I knew that I’d love to show the work in my exhibition of, not immediately graduated, but newly emerging makers being planned for that November.
The exhibition came together beautifully and was very well received - it’s great to bring new makers and their work to audiences. When unpacking and displaying Dovile’s work I of course could not resit the urge to buy one, so here it is below. Beautifully carved out of ebony with two stick pins on the reverse. I wear it with pride - it’s beautiful.
Links:
See hyperlinks above
Dovile Kondrasovaite, ebony, L140mm, 2017