I would love to hear your comments about the candidates…as
people, as artists, as businesspeople. Note that Keith Lewis
and Bruce Metcalf specifically mention getting involved with
technical articles again.
hello to everyone!
call for comments about snag and here they come.
as a long time snag member, i have seen the publication and
membership publication grow and evolve over the past years in
different ways and not always in a way i considered positive. i
have always contributed with my vote and generally went along
with the proposed candidates, even if not specifically in tune
with their goals and opinions.
over the past two years i have grown increasingly weary of the
way the exhibition in print is being presented and bored with the
direction it has taken. the best issue, so far, was the one
curated by daniel jocz in 1994. the worst, for content (yes, even
in tune with the ‘production’ theme…), direction and ethical
choices, the one curated by bruce metcalf and donald friedlich.
i don’t usually agree with neither of them for a series of
reasons, both on a conceptual and formal basis, and i am aware of
my standing as a ‘sculptural jewelry maker’ a bit outside the
traditional mainstream of opinions about what jewelry is and
should be and where the limits are. in their discourse i tend to
see quite a bit of conservatism, in keeping the status quo in the
‘jewelry’ field, with little consideration and aknowledgment for
other trends that tend to steer the concept of jewelry away from
the well traveled road.
as for technical matters, i don’t see the point. there are plenty
of books, newsletters and groups to supplement our need for
technical advice and help; even better, online discussions (this
list is a very good example!) are much more effective because
everything almost happens in real time, is interactive and
there’s no need to wait for a publication’s next issue to read
more and have questions answered…
we will have stuff to learn as long as we live, but the idea to
focus a publication like metalsmith on technical articles (again)
would seem to me like taking away space for some more
thought-provoking articles/papers and research materials and in
depth reviews of work and developments in metalwork on a more
‘concept-based’ level.
as for my vote for the boards of directors, i will cast my
ballot for thomas mann, because i appreciate his broader vision
and goals in supporting the metalsmith and crafts community, his
dynamic approach to the ‘jewelry’ and crafts field in general and
because i admire his deep involvement in the community as an
artist and a person.
and for president-elect i will not vote for donald friedlich,
instead i will write in a new candidate (not myself, don’t
worry!)
hope this will steer more comments and sorry for the length, but
i couldn’t do with less!
greetings,
ema
http://www.sirius.com/~ema
http://www.slip.net/~bizwomen/profiles.html