------ Forwarded Message
From: "Lukas, Sarah Marie Miss" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:31:54 -0400
To: John Lowery <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: MU Art Museum Upcoming Lecture and Performance

John,

Next week the MU Art Museum is bringing metalsmith, writer, and craft
activist Gabriel Craig to campus for two unique opportunities.

Please forward the attached announcement to faculty and students in your
department!

If you have any questions regarding these events, please contact the museum
at 529-2232
or visit our website: http://arts.muohio.edu/art-museum

Thank you,

Sarah

Metalsmith, Writer and Craft Activist, Gabriel Craig, Examines
Sustainability in Craft at Miami University Art Museum

        OXFORD, Ohio  - Gabriel Craig, contemporary metalsmith, writer and
founding editor for conceptualmetalsmithing.com and sustainable craft
activist, presents two programs at Miami University, ³Crafting Activism in
an Age of Ambivalence,² at the Miami University Art Museum on Wed. April
21st at 6 p.m.  and ³Performance: The Pro Bono Jeweler,² on Thurs. April
22nd at the Shriver Center West Patio from 11 a.m. ­ 5 p.m.  These events
enhance the Œgreen¹ perspective as it relates to the art museum 2010
exhibitions theme, ³Luxury, Consumption and Excess.²  Both events are free
and open to the public.
        In the public lecture, ³Crafting Activism in an Age of Ambivalence,²
Craig will speak on his approach to jewelry making in the 21st century and
his attempts to renew its relevance to contemporary culture. By examining
historical precedents and other contemporary activist and interactive works,
Craig will situate his practice within a continuum of concern for social
change and engagement. In 2008 Craig founded conceptualmetalsmithing.com, a
blog that publishes progressive essays about theory and reform advocacy in
metalsmithing and craft.
        The ³Pro Bono Jeweler² is an ongoing performance series by Craig, in
which the he takes his studio to the streets - making and giving away
jewelry. In his guerilla jewelry performances Craig creates a dialogue with
the audience engaging them in his studio practice. The performances offer an
opportunity for the general public to understand how jewelry is made and ­
through discussion ­ help them to understand its current cultural relevance.
By making in public Craig returns studio jewelry to a state of vernacular
understanding. Sponsored by the Art Museum Student Organization, Art History
and Architectural History Student Association, and Green Oxford.
        Gabriel Craig is a metalsmith whose interest in materials and ideas
extend beyond the boundaries of traditional practice.  He promotes
accessibility to his work through humor and performance while gallery
settings communicate in a way that allows viewers to engage on multiple
levels, from superficial aesthetic appreciation of his jewelry to complex
theoretical contemplation in multi-media installations. Craig has an MFA
from the Virginia Commonwealth University where he is currently an adjunct
Instructor in Beginning Jewelry, Jewelry/ Metalworking, and Craft/ Material
Studies. His artwork is on view in the exhibition, Adornment and Excess:
Jewelry in the 21st Century open now through July 10 at the art museum.
        The Miami University Art Museum is located at 801 S. Patterson Ave.
Oxford, Ohio.  Gallery Hours are Tuesday ­ Friday 10 a.m. ­ 5 p.m. and
Saturday from 12 ­ 5 p.m.  Phone: 513-529-2232 Web:
http://arts.muohio.edu/art-museum.  The museum is located on Miami Metro
blue bus route.

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