Ethical Metalsmiths' Annual Report Project

2019 ANNUAL REPORT

Photo Credit: Ethical Metalsmiths Member; Fail Jewelry

Photo Credit: Ethical Metalsmiths Member; Thesis and Gems Jewelry

TABLE OF C ONTENTS

President’s Letter

Jeweler Self Assessment

Better Without Mercury

Website Report

Responsible Sourcing Committee

Education Committee

Radical Jewelry Makeover

Treasurer’s Report

Annual Retreat

Donors & Members

President Alexandra Hart, 2019

In2019, the 3rd year of my service as president, the ongoing momentum and growth of EM reflects the incredible team which makes up this organization’s all- volunteer leadership.

During this time, working from the updated mission, vision and purpose, we were able to concentrate our efforts and stand on our renewed foundation. My hope to empower committees leadership and electiveness has been rewarding to watch as our initiatives grow and thrive while supporting our mission. The strategizing regularly with the Executive committee has been an effective way to keep the long term mission of the organization on track, while still supporting shorter term committee efforts. And this year we were invited to apply and were accepted to the Jewelry Leadership Forum, made up of the presidents and executive directors of many Jewelry Industry Membership organizations. JLF was established to look for collaborations, to avoid duplications, and share opportunities. We are proud to have a “seat at the table” with our industry’s leaders.

Here are a few highlights you will find in this report:

Our website now represents the organization as a whole and all its foci. Even with a great deal of autonomy for distinct initiatives such as our Radical Jewelry Makeover program, we are now more visually united and are unifying our brand development. The site is not only highly contemporary and “fresh,” it serves now more and more as a resource. For example the member profiles including Designers and Suppliers are launched with Self Assessments which help put the ethical decision making into the hands of the viewer and visitor to the site. Our Events Calendar serves to share not only members’ happenings, but also important Responsible Jewelry Industry info and events.

Our membership continues to grow and due to the strength of EM’s community based support, as well as the increasing concern for responsible practices, and we launched the Jewelers Self Assessment as part of our professional membership.

The Education committee, made up of EM Students and RJM reports incredible successes and growth: EM Students continue to drive very international membership for their online exhibition opportunities, for still a bargain membership rate. Colleges, universities and craft centers continue to request to host new RJM programs. Responsible Sourcing Committee launched the vetted Supplier Members on our website, after several years developing a rigorous self assessment process and protocols.

Better Without Mercury continues to raise funds for Mercury Mitigation in Columbia under the fiscal sponsorship by EM

My mission throughout my term has been to help EM blossom as a non- profit organization; to build long- term goals, and to decentralize leadership as we grow in numbers- accessing the collective brilliance of all involved. The Committees expertise IS the work of EM, and these committees have grown and built the sustainable foundation for the organization.

None of this could have been achieved without this thoroughly committed and elective board, advisors, and volunteers involved, and I am honored and grateful to work with these amazing people!

Alexandra Hart President of Ethical Metalsmiths

Jeweler Self Assessment

Helping designers create jewelry in a sustainable manner

We developed the Jeweler Self-Assessment to help those special people who make jewelry figure out where they currently lie on the continuum of sustainability. From that starting point, they can use the data to help improve in the following eight areas of their practice:

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY IN JEWELRY DESIGN

EDUCATION IN THE AREA OF SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE

ENVIRNMENTAL IMPACT OF DESIGN AND PACKAGING

SOURCING OF MATERIALS SUCH AS METAL, COLORED GEMSTONES, DIAMONDS, COMPONENTS, AND FINDINGS

MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

HIRING PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE WORK ENVIRONMENT

HEALTH AND SAFETY

ONGOING PRACTICES

Each year, our jewelry designer members will take this self-assessment, and track their progress toward sustainability in their practice. They will see their scores, but no one else will. Having this valuable, objective data will help them move forward on the journey toward sustainability.

BIG BOLD VISION

Better Without Mercury

In the summer 2019 dry season in Colombia, the miners of La Fortaleza, under the leadership of Rolberto Alvarez, safely moved 400 tons of mercury-contaminated soils to a longterm storage area on the association’s mining concession away from the Honda River. This soil will be stored indefinitely or until technology evolves to improve reprocessing of contaminated soil. It was donations, self-funding, and volunteering that made this groundbreaking feat possible.

During normal times of mine operation, the miners of Gualconda do not have the resources to invest in the changes they’d like to achieve, making this a major accomplishment.

In late 2019 the work continued. The soil that was moved was replaced with clean soil. The miners are cultivating native and decorative plants to restore the area. They have plans for water management, pond development and the work on the 1,000 meter nature trail will connect all areas of the mine site.

The BIG BOLD VISION is to make Gualconda a teaching mine where miners from Colombia and beyond can learn responsible gold mining. For Rolberto, responsible mining means that select agricultural activities coexist with well managed small-scale gold mining and that no gold is mined with mercury. As the Phase II Restoration continues to evolve, we’ll keep you updated.

Consider donating. Your gift goes a long way

Web Report

Wow, 2019 flew by and we are happy to say not only did we launch our member trade show and trunk show Event calendar, as promised, but we developed new membership plans for the 2020 launch.

DID YOU KNOW THAT OUR JEWELRY MEMBERS ARE FEATURED ON THE EM LANDING PAGE AS WELL AS WITHIN THE EM JEWELRY SECTION ON OUR WEBSITE?

If you are a member, then you already know we launched our designer and supplier self assessments in 2019. Our new members have embraced taking the assessment and in the process learned a few new things about improving their studio practices.

Many members have taken the opportunity to have us build a page for their business on our site, showcasing their work and providing connections. According to our Google analytics we have connected our readers with our members.

For the future we have big plans: in 2020, keep an eye out for the debut of the EM Blog, covering exciting news and events regarding education, people, global standards, international initiatives, mining, industry professionals and more!

Interested in joining - please do!

Kathleen Lynagh House Advisory Council Member WEB, BLOG & Brand Chair

Responsible Sourcing Committee

We continued to hone our Colored Gemstone Supplier Self Assessment, trying to create an inclusive document that would benefit our Designer Members, and offer service to our Supplier Members, visible to the public on the website.

With the other three Supplier Self-Assessments in the wings, (Diamonds, Metals, and Findings), we felt it was important to rework the Colored Gemstone Supplier Self Assessment until it was of the caliber we thought necessary so that it could be used as a model for the next three assessments.

promote education and change in the jewelry supply chains. With more in-depth study, in the last part of 2019, we became aware that the word trust is very important and needs to be further studied and defined. Trust, and is based on data, evidence, information which informs ‘truths’, which inform trust. Trust is based on data, evidence and information which informs ‘truths’, which inform trust.

Highlights of 2019:

• Susan Wheeler, jewelry designer and founder of the Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference, Dana Bronfman, Fine Jewelry Designer, and Eric Braunwart owner of Columbia Gemhouse joined our committee.

• As a Committee, we continued to study existing sourcing initiatives in the jewelry industry.

2020 has further opened our eyes to the global situation of all stockholders in our supply chains to assist us in meeting the needs of EM’s members.

In the beginning of 2019 the Supplier Self Assessment was our developing tool that we believed was congruent with our mission of connecting EM Members with Suppliers to

• The need became apparent to develop a responsible sourcing initiative for EM members that would give them information and knowledge on how to source their materials.

• The RSC committee further developed their understanding that the intricate connectivity between suppliers, miners, cutters and the buyers is an ongoing process of learning and change.

Responsible Sourcing Committee

“2019 was a roll-up-your-sleeves working year for the Responsible Sourcing Committee”

Responsible Sourcing Committee

Education Committee 2019

A variety of projects fall under the umbrella of the Education Committee including Radical Jewelry Makeover, the So Fresh + So Clean Student Exhibition, the EM Emerging Artist Award, and the Criticalsmiths Research Series.

Membership levels managed and administered by the Education Committee include Students, Institutions, and Educators. Funds collected from these memberships fall under the Education Committee’s budget plan (with 12% dedicated to the EM general fund).

EM Student Memberships and Profiles:

Take a look at the EM Students of 2019!

Student profiles can be found on the EM students home page, showcasing our new and returning student members. We have 23 new schools represented in our student population this year. Our reach is growing! Every student member also receives a welcome shout out on the EMstudents instagram page.

Conference Representation

Andy Lowrie and Sarah Parker (EM Students Chapter-Virginia Commonwealth University) presented So Fresh + So Clean 2019 to the attendees of the 2nd Annual Chicago Responsible Jewelry Conference in October. The work was very well received by conference attendees. Additionally, EM students had a table in the Educators Room at the Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in May. Lastly, in November, EM Students and RJM were represented at the Education Resource room, during the sustainability event connected with NYCJW.

Education Committee Projects 2019: Criticalsmiths Research Series

The inaugural CriticalSmiths research team at Queensland College of Art, Australia has begun to research flux toxicity, and will be sharing their findings in the form of a poster soon. The poster will be sent to schools all over the world. There has been interest from other schools and student groups to launch additional research projects.

So Fresh + So Clean 2019 Student Exhibition and Emerging Artist Award

Eighty two students applied to the 6th annual online exhibition, So Fresh + So Clean 2019, juried by the EM Students chapter at Virginia Commonwealth University The online exhibition and award winners can be found here.

Our 2019 guest juror was Sarah Rachel Brown, the host of the Perceived Value podcast. EM Student facilitator Lucy Derickson, was interviewed on the podcast to help promote the show.

Annual sponsors of So Fresh + So Clean include Richline group ($3,000 + design work), Rio Grande ($750, and $500 in gift certificates), No Dirty Gold ($250).

Since 2007, Radical Jewelry Makeover (RJM) has been an educational outreach program of Ethical Metalsmiths that celebrates collaboration, innovation and creativity. It is an international ‘mining’ and recycling project.

Volunteer “miners” dig out and donate their old jewelry to be remade by jewelers working together as refiners and designers. RJM offers alternatives to mainstream consumer culture with madeover jewelry that is 100% recycled and considerate of its future contribution to a circular supply chain. It challenges cultural practices contributing to environmental devastation while highlighting the meaningful narratives and impulses that drive us to make and wear jewelry. RJM changes habits, changes an industry, and inspires people to make different decisions about what they wear.

Radical Jewelry Makeover is co- directed by Susie Ganch (BoD, education committee) and Kathleen Kennedy (BoA, education committee).

RJM Artist Project:

In 2014, a small group of artists from across the country were invited to dive more deeply into the motivations and questions of Radical Jewelry Makeover. These artists, who were all past participants of RJM, were asked to create a series of works using donated jewelry left over from previous donation drives. In 2019,

RJM invited 7 new artists to join the project: Erica Bello, Jim Charles, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Taylor Zarkades King, Chelsea Nanfelt- Rowe, Jina Seo, and April Wood. All of the artists and their work can be found on the RJM website here: https:// radicaljewelrymakeover.squaresp ace.com/the-artist-project.

RJM continues to find exhibition venues to feature this dynamic and vital work which travels across the country.

Radical Jewelry Makeover

Sparkle Plenty XIV – Exhibition at Quirk Gallery

The RJM Artist Project was invited to create a series of new work for Quirk Gallery’s annual fall exhibition, Sparkle Plenty XIV, in Richmond, VA. Curated by Susie Ganch and Kathleen Kennedy, the exhibition included: Curtis Arima, Julia Barello, Erica Bello, Angela Bubash, Raïssa Bump, Melissa Cameron, Jim Charles, Kat Cole, Gabriel Craig and Amy Weiks, Jack da Silva, Marilyn da Silva, Sarah Holden, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Kathleen Kennedy, Taylor Zarkades King, Deborah Lozier, Chelsea Nanfelt-Rowe, Caitie Sellers, Jina Seo, Stephanie Voegele, Adam Whitney, and April Wood.

RJM negotiates contracts between the gallery, the artist, and the project to reflect a 33/33/33% split of proceeds. For this exhibition, sales totaled $1785.00 resulting in $595.00 profits forRJM.

Striking Gold – Exhibition at Fuller Craft Museum

RJM Artist Project members Curtis Arima and Adam Whitney had work featured in Striking Gold: Fuller at 50, an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fuller Museum in Brockton, MA. This invitational project curated by Beth McLaughlin and Suzanne Ramljack explored the storied traditions, contemporary interpretations, skillful applications, and conceptual rigor of gold as an artistic material. It also investigated the multitude of cultural, material, and sociopolitical associations of this material. A catalogue was produced which you can find here: https://issuu.com/ fullercraftmuseum/docs/ sgcatalogueforemail

RJM Satellite Projects ECU Material Topics Symposium and Competition

In January 2019, Susie Ganch was keynote speaker at East Carolina University’s annual Material Topics Symposium. The symposium topic was “State of Adornment: Subject to Change.” In her presentation, Susie discussed the inextricable link between the future health of the jewelry field and the materials that are sourced to make our work.

Using her own studio practice and RJM as examples, she talked about the complicated path artists take when balancing ethical and conceptual considerations in the studio.

Earth Day 2019

RJM partnered with Amazon Aid, a nonprofit working to protect the Amazon Rain Forest, for an Earth Day event held at Fort A.P. Hill in central Virginia. 1500 students from area schools attended this one day event.

RJM at Central Virginia Middle Schools

In May 2019 RJM collaborated with middle school art teacher Jill Rich, and her students at Brookland Middle School and Elko Middle School in central Virginia for a mini RJM event. Sixth - eighth grade students researched the effects that open pit mining and fast fashion have on industry workers and the environment. Students used RJM jewelry donations and learned simple cold connections to design and create new madeover pieces.

Interviews and Publicity Perceived Value Podcast Perceived Value (PV) host Sarah Rachel Brown interviewed Susie Ganch and Kathleen Kennedy in May. PV is a podcast broaching the subject of value with artists and has an international following of listeners. Susie and Kathleen discussed various facets of RJM in each of their podcasts: episode 42, Teach Me Always: Susie Ganch of Radical Jewelry Makeover, and episode 45, I Say Yes, That’s What You Do: Kathleen Kennedy. The episodes may be found here:https://www. perceivedvaluepodcast.com/home/2019/9/6/it-never-feels-enough-susie-ganch-of-radical-jewelrymakeover.https://www.perceivedvaluepodcast.com/ home/2019/12/8/i-say-yes-thats-what-you-do-kathleen-kennedy

Articles written about RJM in 2019:

Art Education Journal Article by Christine Woywod (RJM Wisconsin Participant) (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/ 10.1080/00043125.2019.1621627?needAccess=true&journalCode=uare 20)

Emily Cobb, Assistant Professor at Humboldt State University, initiated planning for an RJM installment in Northern California tentatively scheduled for Spring 2021.

Lynn Batchelder, Assistant Professor, and Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, professor, from SUNY New Paltz initiated plans for an installment scheduled in the 202122 school year.

New York City Jewelry Week (NYCJW) 2019

On Friday November 22nd, 2019 RJM participated in NYCJW’s first annual Full Circle at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Full Circle was a one-day event

designed to give jewelers an overview of many of the challenges that face the jewelry industry regarding sust ainability.

The event consisted of lectures, a film screening of the documentary “Rivers of Gold”, and a Resource Room that provided visitors with hands-on education and solutions to some of these topics. Kathleen Kennedy was joined by independent curator Maggie Smith at the RJM booth in the Education Resource Room. More information on the event may be found here: https:// nycjewelryweek.com/full-circle/

Current and Future RJM Installments

RJM XV :

South Florida In 2019 Lighthouse ArtCenter education director Maria Tritico invited RJM to come to Tequesta, Florida and work with students in her community on an RJM project installment. Together we invited the Armory Art Center and Resource Depot (West Palm Beach, FL) to create a larger, inclusive South Florida Project installment. Lighthouse ArtCenter, Armory Art Center, and Resource Depot became institutional members of Ethical Metalsmiths. Maria Tritico, Lisa Johnson, Chelsea Odom, and Alicia Boswell utilized the RJM toolkit and led the planning effort throughout the course of 2019. The South Florida Donation Drive began in the Fall 2019. The project is planned to kick off in early 2020.

The Lighthouse ArtCenter also hosted an RJM exhibition in advance of the donation drive to generate excitement for the project. Madeover work from RJM XIII: Baltimore, RJM XIV:Wisconsin, and the satellite RJM ECU were exhibited.

Proceeds from this exhibition brought $265.00 to the project.

Radical Jewelry Makeover

Future Installments: RJM XVI, RJM XVII, RJM XVIII!

Curtis Arima, Associate Professor at California College of the Arts (and RJM Artist Project member) and Jina Seo, Assistant Professor (and RJM Artist Project member), is ready to plan an RJM installment with the program she leads at Missouri State University. This collaborative will reach out to partners in the region including Kansas University.

We rely heavily on the generous help from volunteers and a few paid staff who are paid through proceeds from sales of madeover jewelry.

RJM Intern:

In 2019, Radical Jewelry Makeover hired Dawoon Jeong as a paid apprentice. Dawoon, a recent BFA graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, helped Co-Directors Susie Ganch and Kathleen Kennedy with data entry, organizing leftover- unused materials, and photographing finished madeover jewelry. Much of Dawoon’s hard work can be seen on the RJM website (https:// www. radicaljewelrymakeover.org).

RJM website designer/ consultant:

Cheena Marie Lo continues to serve as the RJM web designer, building and updating the website.

Radical Jewelry Makeover

Radical Jewelry Makeover

Radical Jewelry Makeover

Treasurer’s Reports

Fiscal Year 2019

During 2019 we have seen a growing and sustaining community in our membership numbers and it continues to be an important revenue stream for the org. We are proud and excited to see the continued success of Better Without Mercury as their fiscal sponsor.

Our sustained financial health and informed budgets has helped the org formulate the much anticipated hiring of an Executive Director, while securing budgets in web development and marketing to continue to foster the org’s growth. Our strong liquidity position also offers for the addition of new programs and initiatives that align with the org’s mission.

Annual Retreat

It is a glorious thing to gather such passionate supporters of the responsible jewelry movement in one room together. The Ethical Metalsmiths annual Board retreat was an example of our mission statement brought to life - education, connection, and action.

On the eve before the retreat, Anza Gems sponsored a dinner and cocktail party for Ethical Metalsmiths, Women’s Jewelry Organization, and Seattle Metals Guild. Then, the Board and Advisors spent the next two days digging into a packed agenda.

You know the conversations are deep, intense, and meaningful when innocent bystanders (the friend who quietly assembled our meals in the next room) tells you after the fact that they had no idea the grand issues we are working to solve as an organization. Success!

Besides the usual procedural issues we sorted out (adopting new by- laws, defining our board structure, making and approving motions), we made some important decisions which will drive Ethical Metalsmiths into the foreseeable future.

The retreat participants embarked in extensive discussions about Ethical Metalsmiths increasing its presence at the larger jewelry shows (Tucson, Las Vegas, New York, etc). Through branded booths, showcases, signage, and representation, we decided to discuss the possibilities with show organizers. This led to a wonderful presence at NYC Jewelry

Week, and a plan for the 2020 JCK Vegas Show. Unfortunately, that was cancelled due to Covid-19.

Another key takeaway from the annual retreat was the decision to apply to become a member of the Jewelry Leadership Forum. Comprised of the main organizations in the Jewelry sector, the time has come for Ethical Metalsmiths to take a seat at the table. Monica Stephension as President Elect, and Alexandra Hart as President, are our Ethical Metalsmiths representatives, and have been contributing our message of sustainability to the collaborative discussions. since.

Drumroll please! Biggest takeaway from the annual retreat to follow. Ethical Metalsmiths has been operating without any paid positions for over two years. At this annual retreat, we made the decision to hire a new executive director. Not just any executive director, but one who came from selflessly serving the Board of Directors since its inception. Her institutional knowledge, enthusiasm, and ability to rally people to action made her the perfect selection. We decided to hire Alexandra Hart as our new Executive Director (effective mid-2020).

The 2.5 days of the retreat were action-packed and intense! I could have never predicted at the beginning that we would come out with plans to hire a new ED, and especially not one as qualified as Alexandra. On a personal note, I am honored to serve with such a courageous, dedicated group of people.

Donors & Members

Student/Supporter ($0-150)

Total: 107

Betsy Drake

Bierkan Yichen

Guan Mathilde Tétreault

Mary Jarvis

Tracey Carswell

Anna Doll

Christine Charles-Ventoux

Bridget Parlato

Elisabeth Arzt

Yajing Yan

Emily Soderberg

Xin Xu

Megan Cochran

Sarah McFadden

Shawna Hipple

Taylor Dunivan

Maya Rose Weiss

Ann Broich

Heather McBryar

John Parkins

Krystal Smith

Sadie Fenley

Zheng Zeng

Kelly Temple

Ruizhi Li

Lena Binnington

Kattie Jones

Bryan Treakle

Erin Underhill

Gina Denton

Xin Guan

Yao Huang

Morgan Lloyd

Cessna Manalili

Michael Nashef

Cierra Redding

Johanna Typaldos

Mackenzie Wells

Scott Brackett

Sarah Brown

Weixuan Huang

Jung Ki Min

Xiangyin Shi

Mizuki Tochigi

Nina van Duijnhoven

Tracy Welling

Saydee Chandler

Sergio Estrada

Elizabeth Walton

Steve Alexis

Lauren Eckert

Michael Gomez

A Groves

Militsa Milenkova

Sarah Murphy

Diba Niazi

Ellen Sisti

Talia Tanaka

Helen Wyatt

Maddison Bygrave

Shana Cave

Suyu Chen Yu

Chi Chien

Nicholas DeLeone

Rachel Dunn

Shaolinyi Fan

Ashley Fisher

Alexandra Gasparis

Dinu Gavris

Erica Hoosic

Cathryn Jasterzbski

Dawoon Jeong

Mariyn Koch

Malissa Kuznicki

Kim Le

Xun Liu

Jennifer Marcson

Max Meier

Chelsea Nanfelt

Farzaneh Nozari

Adwowa Obeng

Chase Shotton

Siqiong Wen

Dongyi Wu

Zihan Yang

Yingqi Zhao

Bettina Van Hulle

Miao He

Renee Ricci

Gretchen Schreiber

Chiieng Chan

Chloe Pflug

Mary Kay Palazzo

Jiayin Wang

Chelsea Chapman

Vanessa Carrington

Fargol Gholamrezazadeh

Leticia Ramirez

Jamie Pelusi

Vanessa Yang Yung

Hewan Zewdi

Stephanie Calvert

Michele Chaboudy

Cecilia Echeverri

Ana Sierra

Designer ($151-300)

Total: 41

Emily Cobb

Lisa Johnson

Jennifer O'Brien

Christina Malle

Irene Weinz

Brandelyn Rosenberg

Daniel Juzwiak

Rebecca Grady

Amanda Buchanan

Karin Jacobson

Nancy Klotz

Catherine Claus

Patty Lauritzen

Margaret Skemp

Jessica Hudson

Julia Popovich

Jenny Park

Kate Maller

Sophie Hughes

Sharon Jewelry

Chad VErhoff

Jana Brevick

Valerie Kasinskas

Todd Pownell

Matthew Baxter

Shaya Durbin

Noor Shamma

Kimberly Haisch

Nicole Grandics

Alexandra Hart

Danielle Barbe

Ana Brazaityte

Jane Bartel

Donna Bilak

Myriam Elie

Alisa Thorp

Alicia Arkwright

Judy Geib

Susan Harbourt

Mariele Williams

Wing Yau

Melanie Casey

Emily Johnson

Retailer/Supplier ($500+)

Total: 6

Ben Manning

Roya Jabbar

Jamie Hollier

Deborah Spencer

Emily Phillippy

Laurel Hilton