Class Character

Class Character is a platform for faculty of Canadian Jewellery programs to share the victories of their graduating students and open the doors of their respective departments to the MetalAid community.  This is an ongoing, annual project.  If you would like to see your school featured in future editions of Class Character, please contact us for submission guidelines and details.

Compiled by: The MetalAid Team
Published: 2019/07/12
 

ÉCOLE DE JOAILLERIE DE MONTRÉAL
MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC

This year, we had ten students graduating from the college’s Jewellery Arts program. It was interesting to see, throughout the years they attended ÉJM, how they ended up somewhat influencing each other, especially in their choices of techniques and materials. It is quite unusual for us to see many students develop such a big interest in gemstones, but it was a defining feature of this year’s graduating class. With works mainly composed of precious metals and stones, they found ways to push the boundaries of form by creating pieces that expand off the body, or restrain the wearer’s movements.

We had an overall very busy year, which started with a trip to New York for the very first NYC Jewelry Week. Students and alumni, as well as other jewellery artists from Montreal and the surrounding area joined us on this trip, which allowed us to see dozens of exhibitions, and to have a final stop at Ornamentum Gallery on our way back. We also had the chance to welcome several international artists as part of our annual programming for master courses, including Simon Cottrell, Shu-Lin Wu, Judy McCaig, Sophie Hanagarth, Bettina Dittlmann and Michael Jank. Artists Alex Kinsley Vey and Claudio Pino were also invited as guest lecturers. We try to keep things busy in order to expand our students’ vision of jewellery and to provide them with fresh outlooks on the current state of the field. 

Finally, we are proud to announce that we have a brand new Lapidary Art program, which was launched last September! The only one of its kind in Canada, this program, led by lapidary artists Yves St-Pierre and Christiane Morin, covers cabochon and faceted stone cutting, free form carving, tool making and restoration. In order to accommodate a more diverse clientele, which may come from outside of Montreal, we are starting to offer intensive, one-week programs. We hope to see some new faces join us in the coming year!

Stephane Blackburn, Director and Marie-Eve G. Castonguay, Manager of Projects, Events, and Communications