Transforming the Prototype 2. | Opening Reception
Friday, May 31 :: 5-8pm
@ Baltimore Jewelry Center
Building on the success of the 2022 exhibition, Transforming the Prototype, the Baltimore Jewelry Center, Montgomery College, and Towson University invited students, alumni, emerging and established artists to apply for a second iteration of the project. The resulting exhibition, Transforming the Prototype 2 will be on view in the BJC’s gallery in Baltimore’s Station North Arts & Entertainment District (10 E. North Ave.) from May 31st – July 26th, 2024 with an opening reception on Friday, May 31st from 5 to 8pm. The opening reception is free and open to the public.
This project and the subsequent artworks are inextricably linked to the technique of lost wax casting. When creating a piece using the lost wax casting method, one of a kind, hand-carved waxes, or mold-produced wax multiples are encased in investment plaster, the wax is burnt out, and molten metal is poured into the remaining plaster mold creating a cast. Electing to participate in this project, applicants received a collection of traditional vintage wax patterns (rings, pendants, odds & ends) which they transformed through additive or subtractive processes. The objective was to radically reimagine the prototype wax pattern into bespoke object(s) or jewelry. Transforming the Prototype 2 was juried by Mary Hallam Pearse, Associate Professor of Art in Metals & Jewelry at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia. As the exhibition juror Mary selected four artists to receive best in show awards; these will be announced at the opening and via social media.
Featured in Transforming the Prototype 2 are local, national, and international artists, including Andrea Corson, Anne Marie Smith, Audrey Zhou, Bethandy Oliveri, Camille Garcia, Carolyn Cox, Claire Webb, Cloie Ali, Col Cavanaugh, Cory Glasgow, Dolores Milmoe, Emily Culver, Eunice Hong, Evelyn Vanaman, Fabiana Fusco, Gia Chelston, Janna Gregonis, Jennifer Cudek, Jess Bischoff, Jessica Hunter-Hinsvark, Jim Cotter, Joshua Kosker, Julianna Englander, Kat Tomlin, Laurel Fulton, Lauren Goldstein, Lisa Johnson, Lydia Boyer, Maddie Kingston, Malika Green, Mana Hewitt, Margo MacKenzie, Maria Lucero, Motoko Furuhashi, Porsha Troost, Rae Richards, Rick Peterson, Robin Walderhaug, Sarah Tector, Sarah Walters, Seville Partida, Terrence Lavin, Theo Mayberry, & Trevor Mock.
“The Baltimore Jewelry Center features one of the few art jewelry galleries in the Mid-Atlantic. Our exhibitions program creates an access point for the larger public to learn about contemporary and traditional jewelry arts, while also acting as a platform to promote and sell the work of local and national artists in the broader metalsmithing field,” said Shane Prada, Director. “We’re excited for the community to encounter the work in Transforming the Prototype 2, which provides a unique view into the ancient lost wax casting technique and expertly illustrates how no two artists approach materials in the same way. Although they started out with similar components, each of the final works are distinctly individual.”
