Metalcyberspace – Contemporary Jewellery Design + Modern Studio Jewelry

“What Lies Beneath” – invitational artist jewelry exhibition curated by Allison Barnett
May 4-June 3, 2007
Patina Gallery – Santa Fe, NM USA

The exhibit will explore the theme of layers, and the translucency of stones and materials. Artists are invited to work with gemstones, veiling or revealing a hidden surprise, or pierced metals casting light on stones or other surfaces. Each artist has provided just one piece designed and hand fashioned exclusively for this exhibit. Allison Barnett, the owner of Patina Gallery, has a BFA in metalsmithing from Syracuse University and has an intimate understanding of the art. Her knowledge of the field and highly discerning aesthetic have been cultivated over time. For over eight years, Barnett has been selecting the jewelry artists who show work with Patina and is, in a way, already an experienced curator. “What Lies Beneath” is Barnett’s first thematically organized exhibition and the first exhibit for which the title curator has been applied. The artists invited to participate are among the most important working in art jewelry today. Their approaches and use of materials vary widely. Petra Class, for example, is known for the softness of her metal work, organic forms and use of raw precious stones. Pat Flynn works with blackened iron. Phil Poirier hand forges the challenging Damascus steel. Jeff and Susan Wise create highly colored, almost toy-like, kinetic pieces in high carat gold. Participants are Petra Class, Andy Cooperman, Sandra Enterline, Pat Flynn, Barbara Heinrich, Harold O’Connor, Tod Pardon, Phil Poirier, Todd Reed, Sam Shaw, Alexandra Watkins, Jeff and Susan Wise, Gill Galloway-Whitehead and Michael Zobel.