Wilmington, Del. - 30 October 2008 -- The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts is pleased to announce a one-person display of jewelry by metalsmith Janet Huddie in Alternatives Museum Shop.  Huddie’s new body of work, Duplicity, will be on view from November 7 through December 31, 2008.  Each item is available for purchase.  Opening reception for Janet Huddie will be held on November 7, 2008 from 5-9 p.m. during Wilmington’s Art on the Town extended gallery hours.

Janet Huddie's work is an exploration of ornament and structure. She is particularly inspired by the exuberant, stylized forms and decorative borders found in Gothic architecture, illuminated manuscripts, and 19th century engineering.  By combining shapes from her personal grammar of ornamentation with her love of tessellating patterns, Huddie re-interprets these elements into wearable jewelry.  Duplicated and repeating elements give the pieces both emphasis and symmetry, and the resulting bold forms frame and accent the body.

Huddie uses both traditional and non-traditional techniques to fabricate her sterling silver and gold art jewelry that also incorporates semiprecious stones, pearls, and some unexpected materials.  Her design process is similar to completing a jigsaw puzzle; multiple pieces are spread across a tabletop, or on her computer screen, and moved around until a desirable combination, or pattern, is revealed.  This combination determines the function of the piece by suggesting a necklace, bracelet, pendant or brooch, and the negative spaces formed between the individual pieces inspire new ideas.

Janet Huddie grew up in the cathedral city of Lincoln, England and has lived in the United States since 1991.  She is an artist represented by galleries both nationally and internationally.  In 2007 she was selected by the Maryland State Arts Council to receive an Individual Artist award for Visual Art and she placed second in the 2008 Art Jewelry Awards, Bracelet category.  Huddie is a member of the FACETS Art Jewelers Collective, the Founder and first Chairman of the Metals Guild of Maryland, and a member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.  She teaches in the Metals and Jewelry Program at Towson University and the Art Jewelry Program at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
 
Alternatives Museum Shop is an elegant retail gallery featuring an assortment of fine art jewelry, dazzling glass, artfully designed wood objects, innovative ceramic vessels, a variety of wearable fibers, and hand printed and bound papers and books. We proudly represent a stunning collection of one-of-a-kind functional items by regional and national artists and designers who are selected for their high standards of quality and contemporary approach to their craft.  Alternatives Museum Shop is the ideal shopping spot for large or small gifts...after all, the best presents come in small packages! Whether you're shopping for your sweetie, friend, parent, or a creative young person, there's a unique and affordable gift for everyone at Alternatives...even you! Let us help you find that perfect gift.