Archive Mode. Call Jewelry Across History ended on 11/3/21, 11:59 PM. Call settings are read only. See Current Open Calls
Jewelry is one of the oldest known art forms, as humanity has adorned itself throughout the ages. The oldest known jewelry artifacts date between 100,000 - 135,000 years ago and can be seen as a sign that prehistoric humans were thinking symbolically about the objects around them. Historically, jewelry has been used to denote marital or class status, signify availability or fertility, act as protection against evil spirits, enhance beauty, mark grief, act as a marker of membership to a group, hold wealth, and more.
For this community challenge, we are asking artists to make a piece of jewelry or a sculptural object that is inspired or influenced by a historical piece of jewelry. Artists participating in the challenge will draw inspiration from a pre-selected collection of historical jewelry objects. The objects have been chosen by a group of curators from the Walters Art Museum which is home to an expansive collection of historical jewelry. The items in the collection come from various cultures and time periods; they exhibit spectacular craftsmanship and skill.
Participating artists can respond to a piece within the collection in a variety of ways, considering the following questions:
-Does the historical context of the piece resonate with you? How would you recontextualize it in a contemporary way?
-Are there materials that hold meaning in our current era in the same way as the materials in the piece?
-Are there symbols in the piece that have parallels to contemporary symbolism?
-Is there a technique utilized in the piece that you could use in a current context or with an updated approach?
-Are there shared human experiences that can be explored through the investigation and reinterpretation of a historical piece of jewelry?
-How do we continue to find relevance and connection to these historic pieces?
The exhibition will be on view Dec. 3, 2021 - Feb. 5, 2022, with an opening reception Friday, Dec. 3, 2021. The deadline for submitting work is Wednesday, November 3. There will be an info session, held in person and via zoom, on Tuesday, September 21 at 5:30pm EST. There will also be a feedback session for community members to receive feedback on their pieces.
Deadline to apply is by midnight, November 3, 2021. Please note that the application fee covers submitting 3 individual pieces - to provide dimensions and descriptions for each piece you're entering, please submit a new "application." You will not be charged additional fees for submitting 3 applications.
Ancient American
Deadline to apply is by midnight, November 3, 2021.
Watch the video tutorial below if you have questions about the submission process:
