Fall Arts brings contemporary Japanese jewelry exhibit

A showcase of exceptional work by contemporary Japanese jewelry and metalsmithing students and their mentors from Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry in Tokyo will be featured at Grand Valley’s Fall Arts Celebration Art Gallery exhibition.

“Forged in Metal: Deshi/Shishou Mentee/Mentor” opens Thursday, October 4, in the GVSU Art Gallery, 1121 Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus. An opening reception, open to the public with free admission, is planned from 5-7 p.m. Also open to the public, Tuesday, October 9, 11 a.m. in the Art Gallery, is a Q & A with one student and faculty member from the school in Japan.

The exhibition is co-curated by Renee Zettle-Sterling, Grand Valley associate professor of art and design, and James Bove, associate professor of art at California University of Pennsylvania. They continue a valued cultural and informational exchange that began when they both visited the Japanese school in 2007 for a Bove-curated exhibition of American artists, including Zettle-Sterling.

“The Japanese people have a long and intimate relationship and appreciation for the physicality of materials, craft, and imparting beauty to objects of function,” said Zettle-Sterling. “While offering visitors an opportunity to view work by international artists, this look at the future of Japanese metalsmithing also captures the artists’ expressions of cultural identity with a blend of the traditional and the modern.”

The co-curators again traveled to the Japanese college in May to select faculty and student works from each of the school’s seven areas of jewelry study. Included in the exhibition are pieces from “High Jewelry,” which makes use of the brightness and beauty of expensive jewels; “Silver Accessory & Craft” conveys a wide range of metalworking techniques; and “Fashion Art Accessory” expresses personality and includes the stories within a wide range of materials.

The exhibition will also shed light on the trusted and profound relationship between mentee and mentor, whose impact is felt for a lifetime. Hiko Mizuno student Natsuko Kawabata said: “One of my teachers once told me that it was important to fill the gap between what you yourself think is good and what others think is good. It may have been just an off-the-cuff remark, but it impressed me. Since hearing those words, whenever I am working I focus not just on my own impressions, but work with an awareness of how others might view it, or how I would like others to view it.”

Hiko Mizuno teacher Yoshinori Tsukudate said: “I believe the practice of teaching is also one of learning. Watching a student hard at work inspires me to do my best as well, and teaching becomes a stimulus for my own creative work.”

The exhibition will be on display until November 2. All Fall Arts Celebration events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://www.gvsu.edu/fallarts, or call (616) 331-2180. Follow Fall Arts Celebration updates on Twitter at #GVFallArts.