Opening Benefit

On Monday, October 6, 2014, the Museum of Arts and Design will host the LOOT 2014 Opening Benefit from 4:30 to 8:00pm. The evening’s events include first access for patrons to meet the 2014 LOOT artists and acquire their designs, a cocktail hour and reception, as well as a dinner honoring the 2014 LOOT Award for Contemporary Art Jewelry recipients.

Each year, the LOOT Award for Contemporary Art Jewelry is presented to luminaries in the field of jewelry, including artists, collectors, and designers. This annual prize is in keeping with the long-standing commitment of the Museum of Arts and Design to presenting jewelry as an art form. This year's honorees are Dr. Friedrich Wille and his wife, Simone Grunberger-Wille, the couple behind Austrian jewelry company FREYWILLE, and American artist and jeweler Joyce J. Scott. 

Acting as CEO and Creative Director, respectively, Dr. Friedrich Wille and Simone Grunberger-Willehas have played an instrumental role in developing and leading the sixty three-year-old company into its enduring global success. Best-known for its artful gold and enamel bangles, all of which are made by hand at its headquarters in Vienna, FREYWILLE has long demonstrated its appreciation for craftsmanship and fine art through several limited-edition collections based on selected artists' signature works including Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, and Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Later this year, in conjunction with the opening of its second New York location at 122 Prince Street in Soho, FREYWILLE will release a new homage collection inspired by Claude Monet. 

Born in Baltimore in 1948, Joyce J. Scott has lived, studied, and worked in Maryland all her life. Challenging perceived dichotomies between art and craft, sophistication and naïveté, and politics and adornment, Scott has succeeded in incorporating these elements within a vast and varied body of work including installation, printmaking, apparel, sculpture, and jewelry, the last of which has garnered her the widest audience and recognition. On view in the fall of 2014 at the Museum of Arts and Design, Maryland to Murano: Neckpieces and Sculptures by Joyce J. Scott examines Scott's prolific career, defined by her ever-evolving techniques, continued exploration of provocative narratives, and commitment to her craft. 

To purchase tickets to the LOOT 2014 Opening Benefit, click here.

For questions regarding LOOT 2014, please call Rebekka Grossman at 212.299.7712 or email rebekka.grossman@madmuseum.org.