Press Room:
Gold to be exhibited at Arkansas Arts Center

For more information contact:
Emily Fraize, 501-396-0308
efraize@arkarts.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gold to be exhibited at Arkansas Arts Center

(LITTLE ROCK, AR) - The Art of Gold, an exhibition of jewelry and objects by studio goldsmiths, will open on January 30, 2004 at the Arkansas Arts Center.

The exhibition is composed of eighty objects, including jewelry, hollowware, vessels, small sculptures and other nonjewelry items. While some pieces include stones and precious gems in their designs, they are not objects in which gold is merely a backdrop or frame for other elements. In all of the pieces, gold is the essential focus. The Art of Gold is a celebration of the inventiveness of contemporary goldsmiths and the beauty of traditional materials and processes.

Studio goldsmithing - designing and fabricating objects by hand in a small studio setting - is a fairly recent phenomenon. While contemporary goldsmithing has developed into a richly diverse artistic field, showing influences from Pop Art, Minimalism, Neo-Expressionism and even Conceptual Art, it maintains its own sense of craft and unique historical lineage.

There have been several notable exhibitions in recent decades where gold, primarily ancient gold, has figured prominently. Yet, for all the exposure this material has received, contemporary American goldsmithing has been largely overlooked. The exhibition will display some of the finest work being made in the field today.

For more information, call 501-372-4000 or visit the website at www.arkarts.com.

GENERAL INFORMATION
The Art of Gold is curated by Michael W. Monroe, an independent curator and former Curator-in-Charge of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The exhibition is organized by the Society of North American Goldsmiths and toured by ExhibitsUSA. The purpose of ExhibitsUSA is to create access to an array of arts and humanities exhibitions, nurture the development and understanding of diverse art forms and cultures, and encourage the expanding depth and breadth of cultural life in local communities. ExhibitsUSA is a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1972.

Sponsors: John and Robyn Horn; Rebsamen Insurance; Marion Fulk; Martha and Warren Stephenson
Contact: 501-372-4000
Location: Arkansas Arts Center - 9th and Commerce, Little Rock, AR 72202
Gallery Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday - Closed Monday and major holidays