Brighten Up! Contemporary Enamels

For centuries, artists across the globe have embellished objects through enameling, which uses high heat to fuse colored glass onto a metallic surface. Today, contemporary enamels showcase a broad array of techniques, from those based in historic processes to the daring and experimental. Anchoring this presentation is a significant gift of 33 works that were generously given to the RISD Museum by the Enamel Arts Foundation, which serves to educate, document, and promote a greater awareness of the art form of enamelwork. Presented in concert with existing artworks from the collection and recent acquisitions, this exhibition demonstrates the many ways artists have enlivened metal through bold and bright enameling techniques. 

Curated by Emily Banas, associate curator of decorative arts and design

RISD Museum is grateful to the Enamel Arts Foundation for their recent gifts of artwork and funding for collection care. RISD Museum is supported by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with the generous partnership of the Rhode Island School of Design, its Board of Trustees, and Museum Governors.