Brighten Up! Contemporary Enamels

For centuries, artists across the globe have embellished objects through enameling, which uses high heat to fuse powdered colored glass onto a metallic surface. Contemporary enamels showcase a broad array of techniques, from those based in historic processes to the daring and experimental. This presentation combines objects from the collection with recent acquisitions, including those generously given by the Enamel Arts Foundation, which serves to educate, document, and promote a greater awareness of the art form of enamelwork. Together, these works demonstrate the many ways artists enliven metal through bold and bright enameling techniques. 

Emily Banas, Associate Curator, Decorative Arts and Design 

Information about the objects on view can be found here: publications.risdmuseum.org/visitor-guide/ brighten-up or by pointing your smartphone’s camera at the QR code above 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. Brighten Up! Contemporary Enamels Information about the objects on view can be found here: publications.risdmuseum.org/visitor-guide/ brighten-up or by pointing your smartphone’s camera at the QR code above Brighten Up!