Alverno College Exhibits Taiwanese Contemporary Jewelry and Metal Arts

Alverno College will host a month-long public exhibition of Taiwanese contemporary jewelry and metal arts through November 16 in the Art and Cultures Gallery. An opening reception on Friday, November 2 from 4 until 8 p.m. will feature a public discussion with Professor Meiing Hsu from the Tainan National University of the Arts. The exhibit is meant to increase our community’s understanding and appreciation of contemporary sculpture and body embellishment as works of art and cultural expression.

Eight graduate artists, along with Hsu, will arrive in Milwaukee one week prior to the opening and will host hands-on demonstrations and art making that are open to the public. The workshops include jewelry making using positive and negative carving techniques, paper cutting and wire work. Each of the workshops will be infused with Chinese culture so that participants will walk away with a greater understanding of materials and techniques, cultural influences and global politics. The demonstrations will take place on October 29 and 30. For more information or to register for the workshops, email Cecilia Castro at cecilia.castro@alverno.edu.

Much like the United States, Taiwan is a melting pot of cultures shaped by Dutch and Japanese colonization, indigenous groups and a complex relationship with mainland China. Each of these influences, in addition to a landscape of water and mountains, inspire the artists and their art. For the past 20 years, the Jewelry and Metal Arts graduate program at Tainan National University of the Arts has drawn upon these historic and contemporary influences. Under the leadership of Hsu, students are exposed to international visiting artists with whom they engage in meaningful dialogue, workshops and critique. These experiences help the artists develop an aesthetic and skillset that is a combination of cultures yet still identifiably Taiwanese.