From the Director—A series that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibitions and events that take place at Main Street Arts, as well as insight from the director’s perspective on the artwork and artists featured.

Multifaceted exhibition, a view from the second room

As with all of our exhibitions, I have been looking forward to installing our current show, Multifaceted: An Exhibition of Fine Jewelry. One of the greatest thrills of curating and hanging an exhibition is in the process of laying out the work and going through the different possibilities for making the exhibition the best version of what it could be. So many variations of the same exhibition exist prior to making the final decisions to make THE exhibition.

Preparing for installation…

I knew it would be a challenge to install jewelry, especially since we wanted to put as much as possible directly on the wall. One of the main concerns was making sure the exhibition would adequately fill the space. When all of the work was taken out of boxes and bags, it was all able to fit on a table and a hand full of pedestals—I started to get a little nervous! However, as pieces started to be set in place, we could see that we had enough work. Our next concern was that we didn’t want the individual pieces to get lost on the large walls of the gallery. Painting a variety of circles in a muted blue helped to give context to jewelry groupings and provided a rhythm to the wall as a whole.

Trays, bowls, vases, and other circular objects proved helpful when painting circles! Pictured: Necklaces by Boo Poulin and a brooch by Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez

We also used mirrors, painted with a metallic gold, to add another dimensional element to the layout. As you pass by the sections with mirrors, you notice something moving in your periphery and—I hope—it causes you to stop and look closer at the surrounding collection of jewelry. They also serve a practical purpose in this exhibition, since most of the work in this show is made to be worn.

Multifaceted Installation shot, with mirrors.

Ultimately, I wanted to do this exhibition to change the context of how we look at jewelry. My hope is for people to experience these pieces as if they were looking at painting or sculpture and spend time considering the meaning behind the work. The jewelry is out of its usual case in the gallery shop and is taking its rightful place on the walls and on pedestals of the gallery—seen as the works of art that they are.

Stop in to experience the exhibition in person before it closes this Friday, August 18.