‘Meanings and Messages’ is an exhibition touring the UK through 2022-2023. The exhibition celebrates ACJ’s 25 year anniversary, and features brooches by 60 different jewellers in a wide variety of mediums and concepts. It is curated into six distinct themes; sparking dialogues between the brooches and encouraging conversations and reflections from viewers.
I’m so pleased to have my ‘Vortex’ pin as part of such a wonderful and thought-provoking exhibition. The ‘Vortex’ pin, in its coiled form, conveys a message of cycles, movement, energy, and rhythm. The way the silver wire both radiates out and draws in along the length of the pin reflects the swirling water of a whirlpool, and speaks of change within cycles.
Image - Simon B Armitt 2022, @simonbarmitt
Meanings & Messages touring exhibition
To celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, the ACJ is organising a major show of excellence, touring several venues throughout the UK in 2022. The exhibition is titled Meanings & Messages.
The exhibition will showcase an exciting and varied collection of 60 unique brooches portraying a range of meanings and messages.
We have chosen to focus on brooches for this exhibition, as they form the ideal jewellery archetype for conveying meanings and messages. Brooches can be subversive and are often used by people in the public eye, by political figures or sovereignty to convey important messages. These messages may be hidden, subtle or occasionally more of an overt protest!
The exhibition will tour to the following 6 venues and partnerships.
St Georges Arts Centre - Gravesham Borough Council - in partnership with LV21 – 30 April – 29 May 2022
Exeter University – Conference Pop Up exhibition - 1 - 3 July 2022
Vittoria Street Gallery – Birmingham School of Jewellery – 19 September – 28 October 2022
Mission Gallery in partnership with Swansea College of Art UWTSD – 19 November – 21 December 2022
The Goldsmiths' Centre - 9 January – 24 February 2023
New Brewery Arts – 14 April – 18 June 2023
Our selection panel, who chose the work this year were -
Melanie Eddy – Designer, Educator and ACJ Director
Dairu Han - BA student at Birmingham School of Jewellery
John Moore – Artist
Debika Ray – Contributing editor to Crafts magazine
Rebecca Van Rooijen – Co-Founder and Editor at Benchpeg Ltd
Congratulations to all our members who were selected, the show would not be the success it is without your beautiful and thought-provoking artworks.
Allison Macleod / Anna Borcsok / Anne Earls Boylan / Anne Morgan / Anne Walker / Anthony Wong / Asimi - Anna Butcher / Caiyang Yin / Caroline Finlay / Catherine Hartley / Catherine Marche / Chien Yu Liu / Christine Johnson / Claire Finlay / Claire Underwood / Dauvit Alexander / Deborah Beck / Drew Markou / Elird / Elizabeth Shaw / Emily Kidson / Emma McGilchrist / Hendrike Barz-Meltzer / Islay Spalding / Jane Moore / Jane Sedgwick / Janine Partington / Jessica Briggs / Jo McAllister / Joanne Haywood / Joel Matthew Smyth / Kate Bajic / Kim Nogueira / Kristy Lewis / Liana Pattihis / Linda Connelly / Lorraine Hitt - Elsiem Jewellery / Lynne Speake / Mandy Nash / Mark Mcleish / Michelle Fernandez / Nina Mannerkoski / Paul Wells / Penelope Burnett / Rachael Colley / Rachel Hearne / Rebecca Ilett / Rebecca Wilson / Sarah Jane Wilmott / Sishi Wang / Sophie Lowe / Sophie Martin-Glinel / Stephanie Johnson / Terry Hunt / Tina MacLeod / Tina Sanderson / Toby Cotterill / Vanessa Sharp / Viktoria Münzker / Yuka Jourdain
We are also delighted to have The Crafts Council as our education sponsor for this exhibition, joining us for our season of participatory events in our 25th anniversary year! Their support will enable us to offer an enriched education offer, sharing a digital toolkit of craft resources with our partnering venues across the UK.