opificioJM concept store now features art925 jewelry

art925 jewelry is now available at OPIFICIOJm in Prato, Italy, a concept store attached to the famous American actor and director John Malkovich, who put down his roots in Prato and now designs his own clothing line Technobohemian. The art925 collection at OPM is exclusive in Tuscany and all pieces are unique and hand-made in Florence.

OPIFICIOJm is fashion. It is a collection of local businesses dedicated to creating original and high quality products exclusively for the brand. Working with Tuscan craftsmen allows the store to support local businesses and, with minimal transport, also helps the environment.

OPIFICIOJm is art: a 600+ square meter space is used for an eclectic range of cultural events, performing arts, exhibitions, scenographics, multimedia presentations and modern art, suited to a spectrum of cultural tastes.

 

OpificioJM STORE
Entrances on Via Dell’Arco, 15 and Piazza San Marco, 39 – PRATO, Italy
T 0574.87.05.00

Monday and Sunday: CLOSED
Tuesday to Saturday: 11 am – 8pm

OpificioJM Restaurant & Lounge Bar
T 0574.87.05.03

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday to Friday: 12:30-3 pm & 7:30 pm-1 am
Saturday and Sunday: 7:30 pm-1 am

upcoming contemporary jewelry exhibits in rome and florence

JEWELRY / GENETICS OF THE ANCIENT

Styles and techniques: an inquiry into the past.

June 17 – 23, 2013

Antiquity and modernity are opposites that have ultimately coincided in works of both Ulderico G. Pettorossi (IT) and Kellie Riggs (USA). This exhibition demonstrates how research, study and restoration of the old have been a strongly connected activity to the creation of the new for both artists/makers. The confluence of the visual past and the present are demonstrated through two similar but aesthetically different approaches, seen through Pettorossi’s immaculate Etruscan gold jewels alongside Riggs’ classical architecture adaptations for the body. Together, the works presented by both Pettorossi and Riggs question what it means to contemporize our own visual history by asking how the past has the potential to also be the present.

RECEPTION: TUESDAY JUNE 18, 6pm
Aperitivo with wine and live jazz!

Palazzo Cenci, Piazza Cenci 56, Rome – Italy
Monday – Saturday, 10:00-12:00, 5:30-7:30
Sunday: 10:00-12:00 noon and by appointment, call 06 68802490.

This exhibition is in association with the Rhode Island School of Design and takes place at the site of the school’s European Honors Program, Director, Ezio Genovesi. The gallery is on the 2nd floor.

HUMANS WE ARE: Alchimia Graduation Show

June 20-22, 2013 
Opens: June 20 5-9pm

Alchimia, Piazza Piattellina 3/r – Florence, Italy

PREZIOSA 2013: A Certain Regard

LAO – Le Arti Orafe Jewellery School & Academy

June 20 – July 21, 2013
OPENING: June 20, at 6.00 p.m.

Museo Marino Marini – Piazza San Pancrazio – Florence, Italy
Hours:10 am to 5 pm, CLOSED Sunday and Tuesday

End of Year Student Exhibition

Thursday, June 27, 2013, 6-10pm

Le Arti Orafe – Via de’Serragli 104 – Florence, Italy

INTERNO: Pizzi Cannella & Lucia Massei

June 21 – September 14, 2013

The title of the exhibition Inside, emphasizes the desire to recreate a private, intimate space, in which the works of the two artists communicate and relate to the interior in an attempt to create a place where everything is suspended, evocative.

Jewels by Lucia Massei, co-founder/director/instructor of Alchimia School of Contemporary Jewelry in Florence, are made of layers of gold and natural materials and pair well with the work of Cannella. The canvases of Pizzi Cannella, overlap, conceal and reveal, in a continuous cycle, transforming into others forms and colors, in a process very reminiscent of the “intimate and symbolic images in the iconographic representation of collective memory, a mixture of real and dreamlike” (E. Nobile Mino), present in the work of this Roman artist.

Silk textiles from the 1700s on display are thanks to a collaboration with the Antico Setificio Fiorentino, one of the oldest silk manufacturers, found in 1680 by a noble Florentine family.

Galleria Alessandro Bagnai / Antonella Villanova
Palazzo Ricasoli, Piazza Goldoni, 2 – Florence, Italy
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10am-1pm, 3-7pm
info@galleriabagnai.it

eames/vitra exhibit in florence

Eames by Vitra exhibit in Florence

I went to the inauguration of the exhibition Eames by Vitra, installed in the Music Room of the former courthouse in Piazza San Firenze in Florence, on view through July 13, 2013, dedicated to the great world of design created by Charles & Ray Eames and their work produced by Vitra.

The work of Charles & Ray Eames, which is distinguished by excellent quality and variety of productions, has its apex in the design of furnishing products. The Eames’ famous and innovative projects in this area have long become design classics and even after decades are appreciated for their timely and modernity. There are many lessons to be learned from the creative design approach the American couple used and their works has a huge value in the design world.

The exhibition is dedicated to the furniture and objects that are most representative of Charles & Ray Eames, and begins with the wartime designs - Leg Splint 1943, Plywood Group and Children’s Chair, 1945, up to work such as the Soft Pad Chaise in 1968 and the Soft Pad Group 1969, going inevitably to the famous Lounge Chair & Ottoman, 1956, the undisputed icon of the evergreen world design. The display is reinforced with textual and historical illustrations. Information on the history of design and construction details, as well as the design of the exhibits are available.

 

The displays are well done, as expected by design fabricators Vitra. Its refreshing to see the former courthouse being used as a temporary museum hosting a free modern design exhibit, and the works contrast well with the interior of the building. I especially loved how the Wire Chair is positioned facing the gated (jail) seating of the courthouse.

Eames by Vitra

June 14 > July 13, 2013

Opens June 14 at 7pm
Former Courthouse – Music Room
Piazza San Firenze – Florence

The exhibition is free and will remain open until July 13, 2013 during the following times:
Monday > Friday 10am – 7pm
Saturday 10am – 1pm

For more info: ADI Toscana

 

“les journées particulières” june 15-16, 2013: bulgari, fendi + pucci

On June 15th and 16th, the LVMH Group is opening the doors to more than 40 exceptional places, giving you a chance to discover the métiers and savoir-faire of the fashion group during the second edition of Les Journées Particulières.

This unique event takes place all over Europe in 40 locations throughout France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, and the UK, and is a chance for a backstage look at where high-end fashion designs are realized. For an entire weekend, tours, demonstrations, conferences and interactive visits let you share the passion of artisans who are all inspired by the same quest for excellence that the brands are based upon. Craft secrets of watchmakers, couturières, perfume flacon sealers, shoemakers, cellar masters, jewelers, trunk makers, riddlers, head seamstresses, chefs and many other specialties will be demonstrated.

In the Florence area, 3 Tuscan locations will be open to the public: the Villa Granaiolo in Castelfiorentino owned by Pucci, the leather factory in Bagno a Ripoli where Fendi products are made, and the Bulgari manufacturing location south of Florence.

Bulgari is opening its doors to the public for the first since its inauguration in 2005. They will be showing various phases of production including how they use agate to give their crocodile bags a structured and polished surface that looks like precious stones.

Pucci has organized a Black and White themed collection, an areas dedicated to hand work and printing, from hand-drawn to digital design, plus work shown by 4 young designers who have created works inspired by Pucci icons.

Fendi will demonstrate how leather is cut, sewn, and assembled by hand for 8 different models from their Selleria collection.

See a complete description of the program. The visits are free, but it is recommended to reserve a space on the LVMH Les Journées Particulières website. You can also go directly to the location you wish to visit on June 15th and 16th, however admission without reservations is subject to availability.

Les Journées Particulières

June 15-16, 2013

promo video for jewelry courses at SACI just released

SACI Jewelry Design Instructor: Naomi Muirhead

Watch the official video and see the Jewelry Design course descriptions, as well as my teaching philosophy on the SACI website.

Soon, I will be posting images of some of my previous students’ work.