The Jewelry Center at 92Y, under the direction of Jonathan Wahl, is the place where artists and designers from the world of studio jewelry, fashion jewelry, and academia meet to create, teach, and connect. From its beginnings as a single metalworking class in 1930, the Center has grown to become the largest and most esteemed program of its kind in the nation, and the oldest open studios in New York City. Its stellar faculty span the worlds of production and art, and foster a space where all aspects of jewelry design can be explored.
The Center serves more than 1,400 students a year through 60 weekly classes, weekend workshops, and visiting artists. The Center’s four fully equipped studios enable specialized training in such techniques as enameling, goldsmithing, silversmithing, stone setting, and wax carving, in addition to a formal Judaica metalsmithing program that is unique in the nation. The wide variety of classes and levels allows students to pursue comprehensive courses of study, whether a basic introduction for the absolute beginner, or advanced workshops and studio time for pre-professionals and professionals refining their skills.
92Y’s Jewelry Center recently announced a Jewelry Talks series to deepen understanding of all facets of the art of jewelry. The series is led by Editor-in-Chief of Town & Country magazine, and author of Jeweler: Masters Mavericks, and Visionaries of Modern Design, Stellene Volandes.
Three times a year (on Giving Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, and before Mother’s Day), volunteers from 92Y’s Jewelry Center community, visit schools and the Win Women’s Shelter. They teach simple beading technique and assist with making necklaces from donated designer beads to present as gifts. It is the perfect opportunity for 92Y community members to take the skills they have learned and share them with the next generation of artists and makers. This program is supported by 92Y Producer’s Circle member Stacey S. Mayrock and is in collaboration with Karen Giberson, the President of the Accessories Council.
The Center hosts the only jeweler Artist in Residence program in New York City, and is open to artists on an international scale. Truly multifaceted, the 92Y Jewelry Center is a New York City gem with an increasingly global profile.
Jewelry Studio Benchtime
Bench time is an opportunity for independent work without instruction, available to currently enrolled full semester students for a fee of $5 per hour. Bench time schedules are posted the second week of class. Partial term classes and workshops participants are not eligible to participate in Benchtime.
92Y Jewelry Center Committee
The Jewelry Center Committee works closely with the leadership of the Center and is an important advisory and fundraising group for Jewelry Center staff. Members of the Committee serve as a sounding board for new ideas, function as ambassadors within the 92Y patron and larger New York cultural communities, and support the Jewelry Center in meaningful programmatic and financial ways. As cultural guardians and philanthropic leaders with a passionate interest in the arts, all members contribute to direct and indirect patron and financial development.
Denise V. Benmosche, Chair
Susan Brooks Ruskin
Jennifer Brownstone
Kathy A. Chazen
Hope Fitzgerald
Mary Freeman
Shirin Ghotbi
Sandra Leong
Margie Loeb
Stacey S. Mayrock
Amanda Megibow
Jacqueline Mirabel
Karen Putterman
Hila Rosen
Aline Shapiro
Janet Silverstein
92Y Art Center’s Jewelry Program receives major support from Denise V. Benmosche. Additional support is generously provided by Jennifer Brownstone, The Chazen and Chazen Miller Families, Christie’s, Hope Fitzgerald, Mary and Harvey Freeman, Sandra and Michael Hecht, Jeffrey J. Keenan, Michael and Margie Loeb, Stacey S. Mayrock, and Aline Shapiro.