A different invited editor, craftsperson or curator will curate the features page each month. This will give a different insight into the diversity crafts practice that takes place in the North East of Scotland. This page will change in terms of format and outlook depending on the approach taken by the curator, editor or craftsperson. It may for example be: a magazine page; a virtual gallery of craft products or a critical review. There will also be an archive of past features. If you would like to be considered as a guest editor, designer, or curator then please contact us at info@creativeculturescotland.co.uk

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Jerwood Applied Arts Prize 07: Jewellery

The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize is a celebration of commitment and excellence within the Applied Arts. The Prize currently runs on a six year cycle, with each year representing a different medium within the Applied Arts field: jewellery, textiles, ceramics, glass, furniture and metal. The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize 2007 will be awarded to a maker within the creative discipline of jewellery making.

The shortlisted artists are: Susan Cross, Nora Fok, Yoko Izawa, Grainne Morton, Adam Paxon and Mah Rana. An exhibition of their work will be hosted as part of the Jerwood Visual Arts Series at Jerwood Space, London from 5 June to 22 July 2007. The exhibition will then tour to UK museums and galleries.

The winner will be announced on 25 June 2007. The £30,000 prize will be awarded to the candidate who shows excellence, innovation and has made the most significant contribution to jewellery in the last six years.

The panel, respected for their work and knowledge in the field of Applied Arts, consists of Jacqueline Mina, winner of the previous Jerwood Applied Arts Prize: Jewellery in 2000; Christine Rew, Keeper of Applied Arts, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum; Paul Derrez, maker, collector, and Director, Gallerie RA, Amsterdam; Carol Woolton, Jewellery Editor of Vogue and Geoffrey Munn, curator and writer.

The independent judging panel was impressed by the outstanding standard of all the shortlisted work, which blends intellectual content and excellence in design and making. Selected from 87 entries, the six shortlisted jewellers use a range of materials, including gold and oxidised silver, acrylic, lycra and natural materials such as twig and hair.

Rosy Greenlees, the Crafts Council's Executive Director comments:'The Crafts Council is delighted with the shortlist. All six makers, selected by an independent panel, demonstrate intellectual content and excellence in design and making. Their experience of making and teaching nationally and internationally is a great boost for the reputation of UK jewellery-making. I would like to thank the panel for their careful consideration of the applications and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for continuing to support this very important award.'

Christine Rew, Keeper of Applied Arts at Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museum, in her position as Chair of the panel comments: 'The panel were unanimous in its view of the high quality of the work represented by the shortlist and that the work of these individuals is incredibly strong. In addition, this shortlist does indeed reflect the diverse ideas and approaches to jewellery in the UK today.'

For more information please visit the Crafts Council website


	Susan Cross Susan Cross's creative process is informed by travel among other cultures and her work over the last six years reflects trips to Japan and India . Cross works extensively with gold and oxidised silver wire, allowing each piece of work, and herself, to evolve intuitively through the making process. Techniques borrowed from textile construction such as knotting and crocheting, weaving and winding, animate the ‘controlled rhythm' of metal forms. The result is work which the judging panel described as ‘very assured, elegant and accessible'.

	Nora Fok Nora Fok takes her inspiration from nature and cites the ‘Glass Flower' exhibition at Harvard University as a life changing experience. Working predominantly in nylon she explores the space around the body to create a sculpted piece of jewellery which is light in weight, colourful and translucent. Of her work she says, ‘[it] combines fantasy with a light hearted humour'. The judging panel commented that, ‘Fok makes non-precious material seem refined'.

	Yoko Izawa Yoko Izawa's jewellery uses a combination of materials to demonstrate a harmonious relationship between inside and outside, strength and delicacy. Very fine, knitted elastic nylon is stretched over acrylic and polypropylene shapes to create a wrapping effect. This has become a hallmark of Izawa's work since graduating, work which for her ‘expresses the qualities of ambiguity or transience'. The judging panel described Izawa's work as being ‘beautifully delicate with an inner strength'.

	Grainne Morton Grainne Morton works with a range of different materials including oxidised copper, perspex, found objects, ribbon, sequins and vintage pearl buttons to tell stories. Recent years have seen the development of a collage approach, in which found and fabricated items are arranged and rearranged until they connect, creating a very personal effect. The artist believes that her jewellery is equally at home in ‘a treasured space in the home' as it is adorning the body. The judging panel found Morton's objects ‘Provocative and extremely personal'.

	Adam Paxon Adam Paxon takes his inspiration from nature and uses acrylic, lacquer, PVC and silver effect leaf in work which he describes as indulging in ‘a more muscular scale'. His development of lamination and forming technique is complemented by the use of more subtle colour palettes. For Paxon, a significant shift in recent work is the pursuit of the interior of the object, which employs clear and mirrored acrylic and results in an illusory quality. The judging panel commended the ‘quality, consistency and assertiveness' of Paxon's jewellery.

	Mah Rana Mah Rana's work addresses the question ‘Why do we wear jewellery?' Balancing a range of materials including gold, found objects, photographic print and oil paint with traditional techniques, Rana distils perceptions of jewellery and the attachments we have to it. To inform the direction of her design, Rana is creating an ongoing written and photographic record of people's personal connections to the jewellery that they wear. The judging panel found Rana's work ‘refined in its high quality and making' noting the combination of concept and wearability.