Collecting Australian Contemporary Jewellery:

In conversation with the National Gallery of Australia & the Powerhouse.

Join us in a special “show and tell’ seminar featuring the senior curators of two significant Australian contemporary jewellery collections.

aestheticalliance* in collaboration with renowned contemporary jeweller Vicki Mason present Collecting Australian Contemporary Jewellery - In Conversation with National Gallery of Australia and the Powerhouse Museum.

In discussion with Eva Czernis-Ryl, Exhibition Curator at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney and Simeran Maxwell, Associate Curator of Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Vicki Mason will review some examples of work from recent and past acquisitions, provide inside stories on significant exhibitions, touch on the process of selecting work and displaying the collections, and discuss what the future may hold for jewellery practices.

This event will provide a unique conversational and visual insight into both museum collections as part of Radiant Pavilion 2026.

Exhibition and event producer *Marisia Lukaszewski extends her warmest thanks and gratitude to curators Eva Czernis-Ry, Simeran Maxwell and host Vicki Mason for their help, integrity and collegial collaboration in realising this project.

Thanks also to RMIT University's Gold and Silversmithing program, Department of Fine Art, for generously hosting this event. Special thanks to Kirsten Haydon for her kind hosting and production assistance.

Follow @aestheticalliance on Instagram for more updates and info on this and other contemporary jewellery/craft/design events.

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IMAGES INFO-

POWERHOUSE:

Necklace, 'Blossom', sterling silver, gold, steel, Joungmee Do, Melbourne, Victoria, 2011 (detail). Purchased with funds from the Yasuko Myer Bequest, 2013. Powerhouse Collection

'Ghost Brooches', pounamu, mother of pearl, rubies, emeralds, silver, designed by Nell, Sydney, in collaboration with Neil Adcock, Mangonui, New Zealand, 2019. Powerhouse Collection. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Nell, 2024

'Enlightenment', cotton, timber, goose feathers, wool, Grace Lillian Lee, Cairns, Australia, 2017. Powerhouse Collection. Purchased with funds from the Yasuko Myer Bequest, 2018.

NGA IMAGES

-Peter Tully, Whoopie Neckring 1977 Image NGA Collection

-Robert Foster, Heart brooch 2006.Aluminium and stainless-steel pin.

Dimensions variable. Image NGA Collection

-An installation shot of the jewellery exhibition Body Adorned, 2025.NGA Collection

aestheticalliance* in collaboration with contemporary jeweller Vicki Mason present Collecting Australian Contemporary Jewellery - In Conversation with National Gallery of Australia and the Powerhouse Museum.

Renowned contemporary jeweller Vicki Mason hosts a discussion with Eva Czernis-Ryl, Exhibition Curator at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney and Simeran Maxwell, Associate Curator of Australian Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, where they will review some examples of work from recent and past acquisitions, provide inside stories on significant exhibitions, touch on the process of selecting work and displaying the collections, and discuss what the future may hold for jewellery practices.