Kellie Riggs Email & Phone Number

United States

New York, New York

Co-curator of Objects: USA Design Triennial

Dallas, Texas, United States

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

www.current-obsession.comI began as a freelance writer for the magazine in 2013 and became an editor in 2015, overseeing five printed issues as editor and many single texts. Though a Dutch publication, the magazine is printed in English and I am the only English mother tongue on the permanent roster. I have had the pleasure of working with a number of International writers and artists from all over the world, as well as the diverse and talented team that makes up CO."Current Obsession connects diverse audiences in and beyond the field of jewellery and gives a voice to the makers. Professional and trustworthy, it is the place to go for an international and cross-disciplinary network of exceptional designers, artists, brands and institutes. Our knowledge, expertise and continuous search for what is ‘current’ in the field, establishes Current Obsession as a trailblazer in contemporary jewellery and beyond. Today our activities, as both a printed publication and an interactive platform, take the shape of diverse collaborations that span communities, cultures and art genres that relate to contemporary jewellery. Current Obsession’s ongoing projects include the organization of Munich Jewellery Week."

I taught a new course called Publishing Jewelry: The Post-Digital You. Leading the writing component while working with a graphic design professor, we aimed to synthesize offline and online formats for representing artist made jewelry.

Greater New York City Area

Non-Stick Nostalgia - March-July 2019

Netherlands

Curator of the exhibition, CULT - author of original concept and accompanying texts. The Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch is a museum focused on contemporary visual arts and design, and is specialized in ceramics and jewelry. Co-curator Marina Elenskaya, produced by Sarah Mesritz of Current Obsession. Dates October 11 - March 26http://www.sm-s.nl/exhibitions/detail/268/cult

I worked freelance for this online organization writing mostly interviews and short format features about artists from around the world.

Rome Area, Italy

Working closely with students by facilitating a positive, healthy and productive program experience, including helping them adjust to life in Rome, programming extra curricular activities and assisting their overall time abroad. I also work closely with the program's director, Ezio Genovesi and the current Chief Critic (changes every semester) to help ease the running of the program. This includes acting as a guest critic during group critiques, giving various lectures and tours, guiding student research, assisting during group travel, administering and supervising the students' work study positions, building and facility maintenance, acting as the sole resident assistant to the students, and keeping an eye on the personal well being of the students, among other things.

Italy

Abstract of project: Invested in the challenge of bringing together traditional application and conceptual artistic validity, my Fulbright experience enabled me to explore the role contemporary jewelry plays in the fine art world by utilizing Italy, a place where the traditional past and present coexists, as a model. Many assume that art practices rooted in tradition are incapable of meeting the demands of contemporary culture; and the convergence of jewelry adornment and contemporary art is specifically problematic due to jewelry’s artisanal history. In Italy this is slightly less problematic.The project included five months of visual research in Rome guided by practicing art professionals to explore Italy’s historic artistic tendency of contemporizing the past; frequent travel throughout Italy including many trips to Padova - the home of many famous contemporary goldsmiths and contemporary jewelry galleries. The grant period culminated with six-months of formal study of hand engraving at a traditional school in Florence, an ‘old’ technique I'd hoped to introduce into future personal work. Writing became a big component of the grant period as I attempted to navigate contemporary jewelry’s place in the art world today.

Master Of Arts - Ma, Visual Art Administration

Bfa, Jewelry + Metalsmithing, Honors

Activities and Societies: European Honors Program, Student Alliance Department RepIn addition to graduating with honors, serving.