Art Jewelry Forum (AJF) is pleased to share its bi-monthly overview of international jewelry news for September 2026. As part of its ongoing mission to support and promote the contemporary art jewelry community, AJF regularly compiles grants, major museum exhibitions, open calls, and critical dialogues from around the globe. Members of the organization can contribute news and ideas directly to these reports, while non-members are invited to join the global forum to support its initiatives.
Major Open Calls and Grants
AJF has officially opened applications for its prestigious 2027 Solo Exhibition Award. Open to jewelry artists of any age and nationality, the $20,000 grant is designed to support the creation of a dedicated solo exhibition that advances an artist working within the broad field of art jewelry. The proposed project can explore jewelry interpreted in a loose, conceptual sense. Applications close on November 15, 2026.
In tandem with this open call, AJF is hosting an online AJF Live event on September 9, 2026, featuring Geraldine Fenn, the inaugural recipient of the 2025 Solo Exhibition Award. Fenn will discuss the behind-the-scenes development of her exhibition, Geraldine Fenn: Dispatch from the Colonies, which explored the power dynamics of European colonization in Africa. Audiences will see highlights from the completed show and learn how the grant enabled Fenn to pursue intensive research, master new techniques, and produce work on a scale previously out of reach.
Other notable opportunities include the annual Earrings Galore 2026 open call, organized by the Heidi Lowe Gallery. With the deadline fast approaching on September 13, 2026, the juried exhibition will showcase a diverse array of earrings crafted by 60 emerging and established studio jewelers. Selected artists present a cohesive grouping of six pairs that highlights intentional design, attention to detail, and functional consideration, providing the public with greater access to contemporary adornment.
For artists seeking immersive professional development, Brooklyn Metal Works has announced the open call for its 2027 Resonance Residency. Running from September 9 through October 9, 2026, the three-month program offers semi-private studio space in New York City, an unrestricted stipend of $300 per month, tool shop and course credits, an artist lecture stipend, and paid instructional opportunities.
Meanwhile, artists wishing to participate in one of Europe’s most prominent annual showcases have until October 1, 2026, to apply for the Schmuck Special Show 2027, which will be exhibited during Munich Jewelry Week in March 2027. Selected participants become eligible for high-profile honors, including the Herbert Hofmann Prize and the Bavarian State Prize.
Museum Exhibitions and International Symposia
Museums and cultural institutions worldwide are rolling out ambitious programs highlighting historical and contemporary avant-garde jewelry. In Memphis, Tennessee, the Metal Museum reopens its doors to the public on September 11, 2026, following a major expansion. The institution remains the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to the art and craft of metalwork.
In Houston, Texas, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is preparing for a landmark week featuring the first US solo museum presentations of Bernhard Schobinger and Dorothea Prûhl, two seminal figures in avant-garde art jewelry. AJF is hosting a dedicated member trip to Houston from September 23 to 26, 2026, which includes behind-the-scenes access with special guests Helen Williams Drutt English and Susan Cummins, visits to artist studios, and tours of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
The Houston museum activities culminate in a day-long international symposium on September 26, 2026, titled Perspectives on Contemporary Jewelry. Featuring prominent scholars, curators, and artists such as Renate Luckner-Bien, Iris Eichenberg, Claudia Schmuckli, and Cindi Strauss, the symposium will examine the intersection of jewelry with political history, cultural movements, and contemporary art. A livestream is available for those unable to attend in person.
In Venice, Italy, the extensive Homo Faber 2026: An Island of Light exhibition runs through September 30 at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, featuring work by contemporary jeweler Märta Mattsson as part of an expansive showcase highlighting over 400 artisans from more than 70 countries. Mattsson is also featured alongside Carina Shoshtary in Bright Wings, Silent Waves, running from September 12 to October 31, 2026, at Galerie Noel Guyomarch’h, where both artists use nature-inspired forms to address contemporary societal themes.
Additional solo and group exhibitions span the globe. At Brooklyn Metal Works, Kerianne Quick presents Oh Well Whatever Nevermind from September 26 to November 8, 2026. In Stockholm, Platina hosts SURF_: Hansel Tai through September 17, examining queer culture, digital liberation, and post-internet aesthetics. Chicago’s Pistachios gallery is featuring Transition, a three-year body of work by Mélanie Denis exploring personal metamorphosis, grief, and emancipation through November 8, 2026. At Mobilia Gallery, Sarah Perkins exhibits her cup-shaped enameled series inspired by Midwest fungi through September 26, 2026. In New Zealand, The National recently concluded Onhold, a joint exhibition pairing ceramic installations by Jaime Jenkins with new works by Karl Fritsch.
Events, Talks, and Cultural Dialogues
The global jewelry calendar features numerous lectures and festivals this autumn. Art Jewelry Week Guadalajara took place from September 7 to 12, 2026, fostering critical dialogue and community building across Mexico’s vibrant craft sector. Meanwhile, the 3rd Lisbon Contemporary Jewellery Biennial runs from September 19 to 27, 2026, centered around the theme of "Coexistences" and featuring exhibitions, master classes, and a dedicated colloquium.
In London, the annual Goldsmiths Fair hosts a series of panel discussions during the final week of September 2026. AJF member Bella Neyman has curated a talk bringing together Castro Smith, Megan Brown, Joy BC, and Alice Biolo to examine contemporary creative exchanges. Additional sessions feature Alex Monroe in conversation with journalist Rachael Taylor, Dr. Frances Parton alongside Morvarid Alavifard and Makila Nsika, and Hilton Ingram discussing the evolving role of platinum. Pop-up exhibitions like Objects Beautiful’s Eastern Waves and Western Currents, running September 17–24 in East London, further expand cross-cultural dialogues in wearable art between East Asia and the West.
In Antwerp, the DIVA museum is hosting a public conversation with Karl Fritsch on September 24, 2026, where the renowned jeweler will discuss his casting techniques, gemstone use, and commitment to material experimentation. In the United States, the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild will celebrate its 75th anniversary on October 17, 2026, with a symposium at the Brower Center in Berkeley, California, featuring presentations by Jennifer Altmann, Victoria Lansford, and Doug Bucci, alongside subsequent granulation workshops and studio open houses.
Publications and Research
Recent additions to the literary landscape of contemporary craft offer deeper critical perspectives on the field. Arnoldsche has published Eva Eisler: Tamed Infinity, exploring Eisler’s multidisciplinary practice across jewelry, architecture, and fine art through conversations with architect Pavla Melková and essays by leading historians.
Other notable releases include Jewelry on the Wild Side by Elena Agostinis, published by ORO Editions, which investigates the universal human impulse toward self-adornment and the innovative use of earth-derived materials in remote regions. Stella Grace Lyons has released The Secret Language of Jewellery in Art History via Graffeg, examining the hidden symbolic meanings behind adornment in historical portraiture. Additionally, the Journal of Jewellery Research has released its largest edition to date with Volume 9, and Thames & Hudson continues to distribute the comprehensive monograph Vivienne Westwood and Jewellery by Alexander Fury and Andreas Kronthaler, capturing the late designer’s profound impact on wearable art.
