Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show to Host 49 Jewelry Artists

The 34th annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show opens Thursday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. This exhibition and sale of contemporary American craft will host 195 of the best craft artists in the United States, selected from more than 1,300 applicants. A total of 49 jewelry designers and a select group of artists from Germany will be among those exhibiting and selling their work.

Etienne Perret  white gem ceramic band with light pink off-round cultured pearl.

The show offers an opportunity to meet craft artists and to learn about and purchase their work in a variety of forms and functions, including: glass, baskets, jewelry, fiber wearable, metal, paper, leather, furniture, ceramic, wood, mixed media, and fiber decorative works.

A gold bracelet from Judith Kaufman.

Five internationally renowned craft experts served as jurors: Elisabeth Agro, associate curator of American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Michael Monroe, director of Curatorial Affairs, Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, Wash.; Carol Sauvion, executive director, Craft in America, Beverly Hills, Calif.; Professor Rosanne Somerson, Department of Furniture Design, Rhode Island School of Design; Lewis Wexler, Proprietor, Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia.

The group of German craft artists featured in this year’s show was selected in conjunction with the German Crafts Council. The guest artist component was introduced to the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show in 2001. Past guest artist groups include: Korea (2009), Israel (2008), Canada (2007), Finland (2006), Germany (2005), Ireland (2004), Great Britain (2003), First Nation (2002), and Japan (2001).

For the first time in 34 years, the show will feature the work of students from the Savannah College of Art & Design. The show also includes an online auction in which all items were donated.

The event attracts some 25,000 visitors over a four-day period. Funds raised are used to purchase works of art and craft for the museum’s permanent collections, support education programs, and contribute to conservation and publication projects.

Dates and hours for the 2010 Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show are: Thursday and Friday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday,10 a,m,-6 p,m,, Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $15. Two-day passes are $20. Children under 12 are $5. Tickets may be purchased at the door, or in advance by calling the Craft Show office at (215) 684-7930. Group admission can be arranged for 10 or more by contacting the Craft Show office.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center, the site of the Craft Show, is located at 12th and Arch Streets.

Scandinavian Inspired Lorak Jewelry Designs

18k Hot Pepper pendant with diamonds.

There were a few new jewelry designers at the recent Buyers Market of American Craft show in Philadelphia and one of those new faces was Anna Lorich Akers, who operates under the name, Lorak Designs.

The recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design says she her main influence comes from her Scandinavian heritage, admiring the region’s functional and clean designs.

“I use organic, natural shapes with the clean and utilitarian qualities of Scandinavian design,” she said.

Her Forma collection most typifies this approach, whether she is creating a hot pepper pendant of 18k gold with diamonds (top photo) or her silver Flutter Flap necklace (left) the pieces are straightforward and wearable.

The wave pendant from her Oceana collection uses a large rose cut pear shaped milky Quartz as the center piece surrounded by 14k yellow gold with and dotted with seven white diamonds. She also makes her own chains, such as the 14k, 28-inch chain pictured.

Like any young entrepreneur she is engaged in social media, selling her jewelry directly online and having a Facebook friend page and a blog, which happens to list Jewelry News Network as a favorite site. This certainly accounts for her good taste.