On Monday, May 5, 2024, The Knockturnal attended a tasteful luncheon hosted by Barbara Tober, MAD’s Chair Emerita, at the Museum of Art and Design at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. The event focused on the museum’s new ongoing collection, OUT of the Jewelry Box, and kicked off the annual MAD about Jewelry sale taking place on the museum’s third floor.
The luncheon was held on the 7th floor of the museum in a banquet room overlooking the bustle and serenity of Columbus Circle, colliding with Central Park. Upon arrival, we were greeted with lemon water and Sancerre while we moved amongst each other to find our seats.
Featured speakers Tiffany Dubin (art and jewelry expert) and Barbara Paris Gifford, an associate curator at the MAD Museum, led us through an eloquent presentation of the very intentional criteria considered while curating an exhibition that celebrates queer artists, innovation in material and form, and pieces that are of political and social importance—OUT of the Jewelry Box successfully achieved its purpose through the seventy-eight-plus pieces featured in the new permanent collection.
Three works that particularly stood out are Keith Lewis’s Dead Souls Neckpiece (1992), Mary Ann Scherr’s Electric Oxygen Pendant (1974), which detects air quality, and David Bielander’s Cardboard Crown (2015). All are pictured below.
Keith Lewis is a queer jewelry artist who lived through the beginning, middle, and end of the aids pandemic, losing loved ones along the way. He made this piece with bird skulls to represent the people who perished from aids, purposely choosing an inhuman form to create a sense that these skulls could be anyone who fell victim to the disease.
The skulls are arranged from largest to smallest around a replica of the virus antigen to represent how the community at the beginning of the virus believed that they would receive support from the government in terms of research and technology, giving them an equal stance against this new deadly virus, only to find out that they would receive no support, giving way for the virus to become larger than life in a most significant way.
Mary Ann Scheer was a metalwork artist who established her practice in Akron, Ohio. Her piece, the Electric Oxygen Pendant, is made of sterling silver, electronics, and amber. Her creation was inspired by the decline of our ozone layer and environment on Earth, implying a time when one would need to test the air to understand if it was breathable.
David Bielander’s piece, Cardboard Crown, is a brilliant display of reimagining materials. Inspired by cardboard birthday crowns crafted by children at birthday parties, David recreated this simple form using 24K gold. The result was a piece that presented remarkably like an accessible cardboard object worth much more than perceived.
After the presentation and beautiful desert platter, we were graciously welcomed into the MAD about Jewelry sale on the 3rd floor. Fifty artists from twenty countries were featured at the event, creating a truly unique shopping experience. I met with local jewelers featuring their metal works, an Italian jewelry maker who creates wearable art forms, and many others who featured sustainability, fine craftsmanship, and unique product designs.
It was a lovely afternoon adorned with culture, art, and creative storytelling. Thank you, MAD Museum.
