Emerging from the Soviet Union in the 1910s, the Constructivist movement sought to cultivate art as a practice for social purposes.  As defined by its creators, Constructivism was the combination of two principles, faktura, the material properties of an object, and tektonika, its spatial presence.  This new approach not only ushered in Western compositional theory, but also influenced a range of disciplines including architecture, film, design, and even jewelry.

In conjunction with the exhibition Space Light Structure: the Jewelry of Margaret De Patta, MAD presents a series of jewelry workshops that explore both the use of materials and the process of composition. Showcasing the principles seen in De Patta’s work, Constructing Aesthetics: Jewelry Workshops in Constructivist Design gives jewelry makers the opportunity to create their own works out of unique materials while learning the foundations of Constructivist design.