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 of decorative art 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.

 

 

Case 1

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Case 2

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Credits

Exhibition Curator
Emily Banas

RISD Museum Director
Tsugumi Maki

Editor, Museum Publications
Amy Pickworth

Director, Digital Initiatives
Jeremy Radtke

Assistant Director, Graphic Design
Derek Schusterbauer

Graphic Designer
Brendan Campbell 

Associate Registrar for Digital Resources
Sionan Guenther

Photography
Erik Gould

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