THE MOUNT
2024
Pratt Institute, Steuben Gallery
In life we mount many things: projects, challenges, exhibitions. Within jewelry, the quintessential mount is the prong setting in support of the precious gem; a balance is struck between elevating the stone with the least intrusion while ensuring that the structure is sound. Historically, there are many examples that highlight this dynamic conversation between the jeweler, the built framework, and the subject: ostensibly, it is the stone itself, while broader narratives have certainly emerged. Presented by the SUNY New Paltz Metal Program, The Mount, explores ways things are propped, perched, or otherwise presented to an audience, engaging relationships that emerge through the process of presentation itself. The wide-ranging outcomes on view respond to the subject at hand. Participants include New Paltz faculty, students and invited alumni.
Displaying jewelry is challenging. How do we present objects in a static state that are meant to live on the body? This presents a quandary: is the mount essentially supplemental to the jewel, or can it be conceived as an autonomous structure in dialogue with the jewel, the body, the audience? The Mount at NYC Jewelry Week focuses on the conversation between and beyond jewelry and presentation.