Enamel Experience - International Badges Exhibition
Velvet da Vinci Gallery
through March 30, 2008
Velvet da Vinci Gallery in San Francisco presents “Enamel Experience - International Badges
Exhibition,” a show featuring 24 established artists from Germany, the United Kingdom and the
United States. This exhibition is made up of contemporary badges inspired by the collection of
historic enamel badges at Hamburg’s Museum der Arbeit.
“Enamel Experience - International Badges Exhibition” originated at the Museum der Arbeit in
Hamburg, Germany. The museum is located in The Company Carl Wild Badge Factory, which was
in production from 1901 to 1989 and was forced to close due to cheaper competition overseas.
The historical badge collection includes badges made for the military, various societies,
commercial organizations and charities. The contemporary artists have re-interpreted these
badges to create a series of new ones.
Badges have a rich history through their messages and techniques. Elizabeth Turrell, the
organizer of the exhibition, says, “The making of badges, medals and regalia gives artists a
means of portable communication, including subversive messages, pleas for peace, and satirical
images. The badge can be produced as a one off, a limited-edition or commercially produced by
the hundreds or thousands.”
Three prestigious international artists in the exhibition have taken very different approaches to
re-creating the badge. Prominent British artist Wendy Ramshaw makes both public art and
jewelry. Her work is found in museums and private collections throughout the world, such as the
Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., the Cooper Hewitt Museum and the Art and Design
Museum in New York and the Victorian and Albert Museum in London. Her badge was inspired
by the intrepid polar explorer Ann Daniels who told the BBC how she saw a “rainbow around the
sun”. The image caught Wendy’s attention and she created this sight in the form of a badge.
Tamar de Vries Winter, originally from Israel, lives in the UK where she creates jewelry and
hollowware. She is highly influenced by ancient cultures. Her work can be found in many
prestigious collections such as the Jewish Museum in New York and the Victoria and Albert in
London. She wants to communicate the message of peace through her badge. She says, “The
vision expressed by this badge follows that of the prophet Isaiah - ‘We shall transform their iron
crosses into olive branches’. I wish to dedicate the badge to the memory of my grandfather Josef
Lachmann who for all his life as a father, physician, soldier and citizen fought for his ideals.”
The photo on the badge is from a collection of photographs taken in Germany and Palestine in
the first part of the twentieth century that she inherited. It is a reminder to her of the world they
have lost.
Mark Hartung is a U.S. artist. He originally studied glass at Kent State in Ohio. He has been
working in enamel since 1989 and is a recipient of many Ohio Art Council Grants. Mark was
inspired by badges with numbers he found in the collection of the Museum der Arbeit. He took
this element and used it as a decorative motif to create his striking images.
Velvet da Vinci is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 pm - 6 pm, Sunday from 12 pm - 4 pm. The Gallery is closed on Monday.
