Newark Museum Showcases Jewels

Staff -- JCK Online, 9/1/2003 2:00:00 AM

A memorial retrospective of nationally known jeweler and enamelist Marilyn Druin opened at The Newark (N.J.) Museum on June 15, and runs through Jan. 11, 2004. "Capturing the Sublime: The Enamels of Marilyn Druin" showcases more than 30 of Druin's works spanning three-plus decades, including enameled silver pieces from early in her career as well as a group of collaborative sculptural works in gold and enamel made in collaboration with jeweler Michael Good.

Druin, who earned a B.A. in Art Education, was recognized for her mastery of cloisonné and basse taille techniques, using vivid blues, purples, and reds mixed with gold and silver to produce regal jewelry, goblets, and bowls.

Her works earned two Fellowship Grants from the New Jersey State Council of the Arts, the Touches Prize for Excellence in Jewelry at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, and Best in Show in Jewelry at Enamel Guild/Northeast's "The Art of Enameling" show.

Druin exhibited at the National Handicraft Museum, New Delhi, India, as well as at the 9th International Exhibition of Enameling Art, Tokyo, Japan. She also was included in the Smithsonian Craft Show titled "Contemporary American, Canadian, and European Enamelists." A founding member of the Enamel Guild/Northeast, she served as president from 1991-1998, and was a trustee of the International Enamel Society from 1993-1999.

A 48-page full-color catalog of Druin's works, produced for the exhibition and priced at $35, will be on sale in the Museum Shop.