Even the koalas were talking about RJM!

Okay, so the koalas weren't discussing Radical Jewellery Makeover - Brisbane, Australia, but many people were.

The impressive attendance at the opening exhibition was a great reward for all of the hard work invested by the jewellers and the organizers of the project. Artisan was full of festive, celebratory energy and the staff at the register managed the flood of sales beautifully. Artisan has estimated that over 550 people saw the exhibition and that 42 Madeover pieces are being worn by individuals today. Artisan’s curator, Kirsten Fitzparick had this to say about Radical Jewellery Makeover, “It was a fantastic project which really engaged the community in a way we had not been able to do before at Artisan, and the outcome was some truly unique work and a very successful exhibition.”

We would like to thank everyone that participated in the the many parts of the project for their commitment to the idea that jewellery can and should be made responsibly. The three primary groups participating in the Makeover had something special to offer. The jewellery donors offered a transparent supply of raw material. The jewelers were challenged to re-consider the ways that they had typically been sourcing their materials, how they design and how to digest a steady flow of information about mining issues while trying to make something someone would want to wear. The jewelers also generously gifted us with their skills and creative vision, they made the jewellery after all. Individuals who purchased Madeover pieces have made a commitment to both wear and share the story behind the piece when given the opportunity. Thank you all for your support of Radical Jewellery Makeover.

Jewellery created during the project will be exhibited online on the NEW Ethical Metalsmiths website. Due for publication soon! Jewellery that was not sold at Artisan is available through the QCA Jewellery and Small Objects program.

RJM-Brisbane, Australia created a new opportunity to address controversial metal and gemstone sourcing issues. Queensland College of Art's Jewellery and Small Objects program is receiving a small, but significant grant for student research to explore responsible jewellery projects. This winter Elizabeth Shaw, Convenor Jewellery and Small Objects at QCA, and Ethical Metalsmiths with determine guidelines for the grant and then begin inviting student proposals. This is the first time that Ethical Metalsmiths is specifically encouraged the host of a Makeover to continue the work after the project ended. We are looking forward to working with Elizabeth and her students in 2011.

We would like to take this opportunity to list the names of all the individuals who gave their skills, creativity and finished jewellery to the project as well as names of a few noteable volunteers.

Makers:

Vashti-Sita Bardsley - QCA student

Ann Chadwick - Jeweller / QCA Technician

Amy Cochrane - QCA student

Dan Cox - Jeweller

Leander D’Ambrosia - QCA student

Renata Fojtikova - QCA student

Kylie Gartside - QCA student

Kathleen Hunt - QCA student

Alicia Lane - QCA student

Catherine Large - Jeweller / QCA Faculty

Bibi Locke - QCA student

Andrew Lowrie - QCA student

Shanna Muston - QCA student

Clare Poppi - QCA student

Sue Preston - QCA student

Elizabeth Shaw - Jeweller / QCA Convenor Jewellery and Small Objects

Karah Sinden - QCA student

Katie Stormoth - QCA student

Joan Teo - Jeweller

Kim Thomson - Jeweller

Louisa Thurecht - QCA student

Susie Woodhouse - Jeweller / Faculty

Alex Forrest - Volunteer discount voucher designer

Jacky Owens - Logistics volunteer

Brett - Photographer (Dear Brett, you helped us document the project and we don’t even know your last name! Please contact us rjm_at_ ethicalmetalsmiths_dot_org )

Thank you all for your hard work and support! Please let us know what you have been working on since Radical Jewellery Makeover blew through QCA.

The day before the exhibition!

Greetings from Brisbane, Australia!





We have been having a great time here at Queensland College of Art Griffith University and our first international Makeover and fifth edition overall is progressing well. We are fotunate to be working with a well informed and skilled group of students and professionals and can't wait to share what they have created.





Today at 3:00 PM all making comes to a close and then we will photograph and price the work. Tomorrow the stunning finished work will be installed for exhibition at Artisan. The opening is from 6-8 PM and the work will remain on exhibition until August 28th.





We are also really excited by recent press:


Mining the community's jewellery box


Check out the the photos, story and pod casts!

Looking forward to reporting more later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best,

Christina and Susie

Radical Jewellery Makeover is headed to Australia!

Ethical Metalsmiths is taking Radical Jewellery Makeover further than it ever has before!

“We are really looking forward to hosting a Radical Jewellery Makeover at Queensland College of Art,” says Elizabeth Shaw, Convenor Jewellery and Small Objects. “Ethical Metalsmiths has designed a project that we are excited to share with our students and the community. RJM compliments our teachings about social and environmental responsibility in jewellery.”

Radical Jewellery Makeover project directors Susie Ganch and Christina Miller are honored by the opportunity to share their progressive, collaborative project with the Queensland community. While they are in Australia they will be participating in two symposia as well as leading one of their full-fledged RJM projects.

There is a lot of information in this entry including the down-loadable jewellery donation form!

Here is the event line-up:

Queensland College of Art - Symposium: Sat. July 24th, 2010. Click here to access the call for papers.

Radical Jewellery Makeover week-long making event: Fri. July 23 - Thurs. July 29.

Exhibition of Makeover work: Artisan Gallery: Opening Fri. July 30 from 6-8 PM (exhibition runs from July 30 - Aug. 28, 2010).

RMIT Seminar: Fri. Aug. 9, 2010. Click here to access the call for papers.

For more information:

About the QCA Symposium contact: Elizabeth Shaw at e.shaw@griffith.edu.au

About the exhibition and sale of Makeover work contact: Shannon McCaskill at (07) 3215 0800

About the RMIT Seminar contact: Mark Edgegoose at mark.edgoose@rmit.edu.au

If you are interested in DONATING your old, unwanted jewellery:

Queensland College of Art Griffith University students and participating local jewelers will transform your donations into exciting new jewellery using responsible jewelry techniques and processes.

All work will be available for sale from July 30 – August 28, 2010 at Artisan Gallery, located at 381 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. Proceeds will benefit collaborative student research scholarships dedicated to responsible studio practices at Queensland College of Art Griffith University and United States based Ethical Metalsmiths.

Jewellery donations can be made at the following locations:

• Artisan Gallery, Lvl 2, 381 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, hours 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday, phone: (07) 3215 0800 (contact person: Shannon McCaskill)

• Jewellery and Small Objects, 226 Grey Street, South Bank, please ring first (07) 3735 3153, or by mailing your donation to: Elizabeth Shaw, Convenor Jewelleryand Small Objects, Fine Art, Queensland College of Art Griffith University, PO Box 3370 South Brisbane 4101.

Please note that donations must be accompanied by a donation form available at each donation drop off location or for download here! Remember to keep the bottom portion for your records. Donations are only tax deductible if you have your jewellery officially appraised. LAST DAY TO DONATE IS WED. July 21^st

Radical Jewellery Makeover - Brisbane, AU Donation Form

Radical Jewelry Makeover promotional DVD available now!

Support Radical Jewelry Makeover with the purchase of the RJM promotional DVD, "Radical Jewelry Makeover: a traveling community mining and recycling project."

About the film: Video artists Dana Richardson and Sarah Zentz followed the project for the two-week class at Penland School of Crafts and produced a 12-minute film. It features interviews with artists, donors and jewelry from the Penland Makeover as well as others. The cost of the DVD is $15 and this price includes shipping!

Click here to order!

MAD Momentum

As a team of collaborators we do not stop often enough to appreciate how Radical Jewelry Makeover has evolved since it was piloted in Richmond, VA in the winter of 2007, but this blog entry is a celebration!

Yesterday (9/12/09), several people who have been significant contributors to RJM's momentum converged at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City for the museum's "Jewelry Study Day". RJM and Ethical Metalsmiths were represented in two ways. The first event was the second public screening of the new video, "Radical Jewelry Makeover: a traveling community mining and recycling project" and the second event, attended by over 75 people, was a panel discussion featuring Ethical Metalsmiths' Co-director, Susan Kingsley.

The line-up of panelists from left to right: Susan Kingsley, Robert Ebendorf, Ursula Ilse-Neuman (MAD's jewelry curator), Daniella Kerner and Thomas Gentille

As Co-director of Ethical Metalsmiths and RJM, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the film makers Sarah Zentz and Dana Richardson as well as three-time RJM participant, Meg Roberts to NYC! Susie Ganch couldn't join us in in NYC, but she was with us in spirit!


Everyone that participated in the "Jewelry Study Day" had the opportunity to watch the new 12 minute RJM video. We took several orders for the film, many of which were made by educators in the jewelry and metalsmithing field who are already using Ethical Metalsmiths' materials in their classrooms / studios. Here we are taking in the first run of the film at MAD.

"Radical Jewelry Makeover: a traveling community mining and recycling project" is now available to order by contacting Christina Miller at mail@ethicalmetalsmiths.org. The suggested donation to Ethical Metalsmiths to receive a copy of the film is $15.00 and this includes shipping. If you support the project and can donate more, we will put your generosity to good use. The packing for the DVD is made from 100% recycled paper. Sarah and Dana found the DVD labels in the trash and the first several copies will be packaged in a custom designed and hand-made, 100% recycled folder.


As if this weren't enough to celebrate, I'd also like to share some photos from the first public screening of the film, which took place outdoors on September 4th in Lancaster, PA's Binn's Park.


Our thank you list to people who made the production of this film possible is LONG! Collaboration is an essential part of all of our work and I would like to personally use this moment to shout out an expression of appreciation and thanks to everyone that has been involved! If this computer screen had arms, there would be a hug for each one of you.

SO - let the MOMENTUM continue and we looking forward to bringing Radical Jewelry Makeover to its next host community!

Best,
Christina Miller

Behind the Scenes - Preparing for the Debut of the RJM film

Take a guess. How long does it take to produce a 10 minute film if you are working on it a minimum of 10 hours per day?


In the case of "Radical Jewelry Makeover: a traveling community mining and recycling project," months is the correct answer and after all that hard work we are happy to announce the first two screenings of the film with this electronic postcard.



Working along with the directors and producers of the film, Sarah Zentz and Dana Richardson, has been a real treat. They have been filming, interviewing, editing, re-filming, critiquing, and working diligently. Useful to the project has been simple internet communication software like Skype and Audacity. The following photo is a great example of sharing a screening and critique moment with co-director of RJM, Susie Ganch via Skype.


We look forward to seeing you at Binn's Park in Lancaster, PA from 8:00 - 9:30 PM on Friday September 4th for the debut screening and/or in New York at the Museum of Arts and Design on September, 12th. The special screening will take place as part of the museum's "jewelry study day" from 11:30 - 12:30 PM.

Feel free to contact Ethical Metalsmiths at mail@ethicalmetalsmiths.org with any questions.

Reflection on the Past and Keeping RJM moving!

Radical Jewelry Makeover IV - Penland, NC, specifically designed as a 2-week workshop for the renowned Penland School of Crafts, was a success! How do we know? Well, how could such a hard working and smart group of students, spell bound by the Penland mystique and handed beautiful jewelry donations from a community "mine" to create with come up with anything less than success?

Have a look at a few photos of students studying and sorting the donations, hard at work in the studio, and later, the final exhibition.



































The images below of the final exhibition in Penland's new letterpress studio are actually from Amy Tavern's blog (thanks Amy!). It is a good thing so many people are collaborating on each RJM, together we don't miss a beat! Enjoy these exhibition shots. We are waiting to unveil photos of the finished work until Ethical Metalsmiths launches its new website (getting closer to launch date!). Www.ethicalmetalsmiths.org will feature each edition of RJM with its own gallery.

Ethical Metalsmiths and RJM Directors Susie Ganch and Christina Miller would like to thank Penland School of Crafts for generously supporting the project beyond the traditional scope of the workshops and especially Adam Whitney and Amy Tavern. Our teaching assistants, Kaitlyn Evans and Gabriel Graig, did a fabulous job as our extra eyes, ears and brains, additionally, they made beautiful, responsible work. To all of the jewelry donors, we really can't do this project without generous support like yours. We hope that you feel confident that your jewelry is getting put to good use! And most of all we'd like to thank the participating artists. You brought real vitality, creativity and generosity to the 4th edition and it was an honor to work with all of YOU!

Thank you to:
Nina Dinoff
Peyton Kinnaird
Soyeon Kim
Erica Bissette
Betsy Rowland
Stella Schloss
Debbie Chapman
Perry Craven
Gabriel Graig
Allison Dahle
Renee Mendola
Nathalie Siman
Mary Tevington
Greg Owen
Pamola Powell
Nancy Kerr
Joshua Kuensting
Pat Nevin
Kaitlyn Evans
Elaine Butcher
Stephanie Voegele

Independent Jewelers
Amy Tavern
Adam Whitney
Matt Willig
Cynthia Rohrer

Finally, a special thanks to Florence Hardymon who through the simple act of donating some old jewelry catapulted Radical Jewelry Makeover over the wall and off on a brand new adventure.

Stay tuned for information about the new Radical Jewelry Makeover promotional film produced and directed by collaborators Dana Richardson and Sarah Zentz.