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Helena Fox Fine Art – March 1, 2019

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helena fox fine art
Helena Fox Fine Art gallery downtown Charleston South of Broad

Helena Fox Fine Art welcomes Charleston Silversmith Kaminer Haislip

CHARLESTON, SC, March 1, 2019 – – Helena Fox Fine Art, LLC is pleased to welcome Kaminer Haislip, Silversmith to the gallery.

We are thrilled to announce that silversmith Kaminer Haislip will be joining our gallery in March. Join us on Friday March 1, 2019 to welcome Silversmith Kaminer Haislip to the gallery—artist reception from 5-8pm during the Charleston Gallery Association spring artwalk.

Ms. Haislip’s work expands our idea of what can be done with sterling silver. Using basically the same techniques as colonial silversmiths Kaminer creates sleek and sculptural objects for the home as well as sophisticated jewelry. Many of her pieces have hidden meanings—such as the ‘nest bowl.’ In the object you see the layering of larger and smaller sterling wires that intertwine to create a bowl shape, much like you might see in a birds nest. Many of her designs are modern interpretations of the world around us, such as her ‘Oyster’ series of jewelry which echoes the familiar shape of an oyster shell in sterling wire. 

‘I like silversmithing,” Kaminer explains, “because it is midway between sculpture and jewelry.” Laughing she adds, “although my parents wanted me to make jewelry since it was more practical as a career.” After earning her MFA in silversmithing from Winthrop University in 2005, Southern tastemakers began seeking her out for her striking pieces. Among them Southern sweetheart and founder of lifestyle brand Draper James, Reese Witherspoon. She found Ms. Haislip through the Garden and Gun Made in the South awards where Ms. Haislip was a runner up in the overall home wares division in 2012.

Join us on March 1st and give our newest artist a warm welcome. Jewelry and home objects will be on display with a larger selection available through Saturday March 2nd.

Helena Fox Fine Art

106A Church Street

Charleston, SC 29401

843-723-0073

www.helenafoxfineart.com

Drawing as a Starting Point

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silver purple heart teapot drawing kaminer haislip design
Drawing by Kaminer Haislip for her silver and purple heart teapot Corresponding to an echo as it travels (teapot II)
silver purple heart teapot silversmith Kaminer Haislip
Silver and purple heart teapot Corresponding to an echo as it travels (teapot II) made by Kaminer Haislip

Drawing as a Starting Point

I am frequently asked how I come up with my ideas and develop them into silver artworks, so this Blog post discusses how I use drawing as a starting point for my design process. When an idea inspires me to create a new hollowware piece or jewelry series, I begin designing by loosely sketching in my sketchbook. As the form or shape of a piece begins to take shape, I refine the rendering with correct proportions and details.

silver pitcher drawing artist rendering product design
Drawing by Kaminer Haislip of her silver pitcher
Corresponding to an echo as it travels (pitcher II)
silver pitcher functional art contemporary silver
Silver pitcher Corresponding to an echo as it travels (pitcher II)
created by Kaminer Haislip

Once I have chosen the final form from the various refined renderings, I draw the object or jewelry piece to scale of the actual item on Canson paper using graphite pencils and Prisma Color Pencils (media of all three drawings included in this post). The design continues to evolve in the to scale state with decisions made about handle size, spout curve, and overall proportions of the object. It is much easier, faster, and more economical to change the design on paper than it is in silver!

My drawings also assist me in the pricing of an object or jewelry piece, because they tell me the exact size of silver sheet or wire to purchase.

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Sounding Series pitcher and beaker design drawing by Kaminer Haislip
Silver pitcher contemporary silver designer silversmith functional art tabletop design
Silver Sounding Series Pitcher handcrafted by Kaminer Haislip

silver beaker cup tumbler tabletop design product design
Silver Sounding Series Beaker handcrafted by Kaminer Haislip

I follow the same path when beginning a client’s custom commission design. Based on conversations I have with a client on their vision or concept for a custom object or jewelry piece, I use those specifics to begin designing a unique, one of a kind piece especially for them. The collaboration between client and artist is a process I very much enjoy! A new artwork I would not have thought of on my own emerges from the collaboration and it challenges me to think outside of my regular work zone.

To view examples of commission drawings and finished pieces I have custom designed, visit the Commission page on this website. To commission me to create a one of a kind design, email me directly at kaminer@kaminerhaislip.com.

To learn more about my process from paper to silver, visit the Handcrafted Design page on this website. Also stay tuned for more Blog posts about my handcrafted process. Thank you for your interest in my artwork!

Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 – The Netherlands Silver Museum

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schoonhoven silver award 2018

Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 – The Netherlands Silver Museum

Kaminer Haislip’s silver vessel Gradual Erosion was accepted into the international silver object (no jewelry) exhibition Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018!

The exhibition is hosted by The Netherlands Silver Museum in Schoonhoven and opened December 7, 2018. Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 will be on display for three months before traveling to cities in Belgium and Germany until November 2019.

etched silver vessel

Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 includes a wide variety of silversmiths from all over the world and its goal was to inspire artists to test and explore the boundaries of their traditional art and craft. The Netherlands Silver Museum sought objects that bear a direct relationship with the museum’s policy of stimulating the exploration of new technologies and uses, and innovative art forms. Innovation, as envisioned in the Award’s present edition, centers on the rejuvenation of past, time-honored techniques and on the preservation of this heritage through injecting dynamic new life into the art of silversmithing.

silver vase

The international Schoohnoven Silver Award exhibition began in 2001 and 2018 is the seventh edition of this unique silversmithing focused exhibition. Kaminer Haislip’s silver and ebony teapot Perched Flight was included in the 2009 exhibition Poetry in Silver, so she is excited and honored to exhibit again with her new silver vessel Gradual Erosion.

etched silver vessel

Gradual Erosion is currently available for sale, but will not be available for delivery until after the exhibition travels to two other European countries and ends in November 2019. Gradual Erosion will be returned to Kaminer Haislip after the exhibition and you can contact her directly for details at kaminer@kaminerhaislip.com.

To learn more about Gradual Erosion, visit its product page on this website’s Shop at https://www.kaminerhaislip.com/silver-art-jewelry-baby/gradual-erosion-silver/

To learn more about The Netherlands Silver Museum or Schoonhoven Silver Award 2018 visit the two links below.

https://zilvermuseum.com/en/

https://zilvermuseum.com/en/4919-2/

Interwoven: The Art of Indigo and Silver Exhibition – Charleston, SC

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indigo and silver

Silver Nest Bowl by Kaminer Haislip and Boo Hag Blue Indigo Baskets by Leigh Magar
Photograph by Jack Alterman

Interwoven: The Art of Indigo and Silver

Works by Kaminer Haislip, Leigh Magar, and Jack Alterman

Curated by Brandy S. Culp

City Gallery
34 Prioleau Street
Charleston, South Carolina

August 25, 2018 – October 7, 2018
Opening Reception August 24 from 5-7pm
Artist Lecture September 8 from 2-3pm

The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents Interwoven: The Art of Indigo and Silver, on view at City Gallery August 25 through October 7, 2018. This exhibition features approximately 60 works by three contemporary Lowcountry artists who explore indigo and silver as both conceptual inspiration and materials of handicraft. Silversmith Kaminer Haislip, textile designer Leigh Magar, and photographer Jack Alterman will exhibit independent pieces as well as collaborative installations in media ranging from silver hollowware, flatware and jewelry to textile art, portraiture, and photography. The exhibition is curated by Brandy S. Culp, Richard Koopman Curator of Decorative Arts at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, who has worked closely with these artists over a two-year period.

City Gallery will host an opening reception for the exhibition on Friday, August 24 from 5-7 p.m. An artists’ talk will be held on September 8 at 2 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

An interdisciplinary showing of indigo and silver as they relate to contemporary craft, Interwoven brings together three artists who are deeply influenced by Charleston’s cultural heritage. For centuries, indigo and silver have been highly prized commodities among various cultures and the objects created from these raw materials are infused with symbolism and significance. Indigo and silver were essential to the early history of the Carolina Lowcountry—one a product that generated wealth, the other a literal display of this capital, and both integrally tied to enslaved labor. Works such as Haislip’s rice spoons, Magar’s rag quilting, and Alterman’s portraits demonstrate the artists’ profound appreciation of history and place, acknowledging complex, intertwined legacies.

“Providing a modern look at historically significant mediums, these artists are transforming materials important to the city’s history into contemporary art,” Culp says. “Through this project, the artists and I hope to create a dynamic and innovative exhibition that celebrates current design in Charleston as well as inspiring appreciation of waning craft traditions.” While compelled by Charleston’s rich and diverse heritage surrounding indigo and silver, each of the artists brings a unique, contemporary perspective to the exhibition.

Nationally recognized for her metalwork, Kaminer Haislip is one of few formally trained silversmiths practicing in Charleston. Her work was most recently highlighted in the Museum of the City of New York’s exhibition New York Silver: Then and Now. Inspired by Charleston’s long-standing silversmithing tradition, Haislip feels compelled to carry it forth. “Through my metalwork,” she explains, “I seek to enhance daily life by creating functional handcrafted objects that give a nod to the past but are entirely contemporary in form.” Hand-forging her flatware, hollowware, and jewelry, Haislip uses the very tools and techniques employed by silversmiths for centuries. Interwoven features nearly 30 of her handcrafted objects, as well as several hand-drawn designs and select forms in progress, all to illuminate the art of the silversmith.

Milliner turned textile artist Leigh Magar has established a small-batch label that combines art, fashion, history, and performance. Her “indigo seed to stitch” project was inspired by Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who brought this cash crop to the Carolina Lowcountry in the mid-1700s. Magar interweaves design and nature with her local garden, where indigo is grown and then used to create contemporary hand-dyed, hand-stitched garments, goods, and textile art. Interwoven highlights Magar’s wide range of indigo-dyed textile artworks, including items rooted in traditional quilt making and rag quilting as well as those which feature contemporary, non-traditional elements.

A native of Charleston and an award-winning photographer, Jack Alterman has participated in numerous multimedia exhibitions and one-man shows. With a new photography series focusing on color, texture, and creation, Alterman conceptually explores indigo and silver through portraits of local artists who are influenced by or who directly work with these materials. This series complements Magar’s indigo and quilted portraits of key figures, such as musician Nina Simone and Eliza Lucas Pinckney. “When I began this collaboration with an indigo artist and a silversmith, my thoughts were mainly focused on the raw materials with which they worked,” Alterman says. “Then I expanded my vision to capture a wide variety of contemporary artists [in Charleston] who are influenced by the shades and textures of indigo and silver. They are each unique, but all are connected by this time, this place and their use of indigo and silver as they seek to capture our unique culture.”

This exhibition has been organized and curated by Brandy S. Culp. The project is funded in part by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department through their joint administration of the Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant Program, and by the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina. Additional support has been provided by Rio Grande, a wholesale supplier to jewelers and metalsmiths since 1944.

City Gallery, located at Joe Riley Waterfront Park, is owned by the City of Charleston and operated by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, presenting an annual program of exhibitions and events featuring the finest contemporary art from local, regional, national and international artists, with a focus on the Lowcountry. City Gallery provides access to the visual arts for everyone in Charleston, visitors and residents alike, by offering exhibits that are all admission-free.

City Gallery is located at 34 Prioleau St. in downtown Charleston, and gallery hours of operation are 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday as well as 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information and holiday closures, visit www.charleston-sc.gov/citygallery or call 843-958-6484.

 

Rio Grande

 

A wholesale supplier to jewelers and metalsmiths since 1944, Rio Grande is proud to sponsor the work of acclaimed silversmith Kaminer Haislip in the “Interwoven: The Art of Indigo and Silver” exhibition.  

 

Silver Magazine – July/August 2018

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Silver Magazine highlighted in their July/August issue Interwoven: The Art of Indigo and Silver, the collaborative exhibition that includes artists Kaminer Haislip, Leigh Magar, Jack Alterman, and curator Brandy Culp. Silversmith Kaminer Haislip’s handcrafted silver pitcher was the feature image on the far right side of the second image below.

The exhibition will be on display at the City Gallery in historic downtown Charleston, SC August 25-October 7, 2018. Visit Kaminer’s website Blog for details.

silver magazine

silver magazine feature

“How did you get into silversmithing?”

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“How did you get into silversmithing?” is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive.

I discuss it briefly in my Bio posted on my website, but I get the same question so often I decided to share more of my story on my Blog.

 

silversmithing studio

Kaminer Haislip working in her silversmithing studio

 

Aiken, South Carolina, which received Southern Living’s 2018 award for The South’s Best Small Town, is my hometown. I grew up in my family’s business True Value Hardware & Appliance, which is located on the main street of Aiken’s historic downtown. My grandfather Bill Franklin started the hardware store as a side project when he was an accountant at Savannah River Site. When my parents Det and Lyanne Haislip were married, my father took over the business.

 

True Value Aiken SC

True Value Hardware & Appliance in historic downtown Aiken, SC

 

As children, my brother Wylie, cousins Anne and Franklin, and I spent a lot of time there, especially at Christmas. As you can see in the picture below, we had so much fun with the toys, go carts, and window displays!

 

hardware store 1980's

Kaminer with her brother and cousins in the hardware store as children in the 1980’s

 

In high school, I worked in the hardware store and that is when my interest began in making sculpture and jewelry. Being around all of the tools and equipment, putting together bikes and toys, and cutting keys is now an obvious connection to how working with my hands became my career.

 

True Value Aiken SC

True Value newspaper feature from 1990’s

 

When I was in high school, I took the industrial tech class, because I wanted to learn how to make sculptures in metal and wood. Being the only girl in the class did not bother me at all and I took to learning welding and wood working immediately. One of my first wood sculptures is shown below. Displayed in a downtown Aiken park not far from my family’s business, it was my first artwork exhibited outside of a school setting.

 

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Sculpture from high school in 1990’s

 

I knew by then I wanted to be a professional artist and major in jewelry and sculpture in college, so I sought out a college with a strong jewelry and sculpture program. After careful deliberation, I decided the small liberal arts college Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC would be the best fit for me. Alfred Ward, an English silversmith from London, was head of the jewelry and metals program and I was excited to study under such a renowned silversmith.

 

silver ebony wood spoon

Silver and ebony wood spoon from undergraduate studies

 

The first functional silver object I made studying under Alf was the silver spoon with ebony wood handle shown above. This piece is significant to my work, because it was the first time I laminated silver and wood. I continue to use this method of fabrication for spoon, teapot and coffeepot handles, because it creates strength in the handle and a beautiful line of silver down the center.

 

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Kaminer and her brother Wylie at her first gallery exhibition

 

From there I was hooked on silversmithing, because it combined my interest in jewelry techniques and sculptural forms. My graduation exhibition with my classmates in Charlotte, NC was my first commercial art gallery exhibit. Pictured above is me with my brother Wylie looking at one of my display cases at the opening reception. After graduating with my BFA in Jewelry and Metals, I moved to Charlotte and started my MFA silversmithing studies under Alf at Winthrop.

 

Sir John Cass London Metropolitan University

Kaminer and her professor Alf at Sir John Cass London Metropolitan University in London, England

 

While in graduate school, I focused on silversmithing and immersed myself in it completely. During that time, I also taught the Jewelry II and III classes and jewelry workshops at Winthrop. Additionally, I interned and was a docent at the Mint Museum, where I learned up close the history of craft and design and how a professional institution operates. During the summer of 2004, I went to London for a family trip and my MFA thesis research. Alf and his wife were in England visiting family, so he was kind enough to meet us in London and show us around. Pictured above is me with Alf in the stake room of Sir John Cass London Metropolitan University, where Alf was formerly head of the silversmithing and jewelry department.

 

silver teapot

Perched Flight silver and ebony wood teapot

 

In 2005 I graduated with my MFA in Silversmithing and Design with a minor in Sculpture. The first teapot I made was Perched Flight and it is silver with an ebony wood handle that is laminated with silver in the center. It was the central piece to my MFA thesis exhibition and after was accepted to five national exhibitions and one international exhibition. I became very attached to it, so it is now in me and my husband’s collection.

Immediately following graduation, I moved to Charleston, South Carolina and established my studio and business. Three years later my husband Matt and I had our wedding reception at the William Aiken House. My hometown was named for William Aiken and his father is my great-great-great-great uncle.

 

Charleston Weddings Magazine

Charleston Weddings Magazine feature – see full article on website Press page

 

My path to silversmithing began at a very young age, but it wasn’t until I started my business and began exhibiting my work nationally that people started asking me “How did you get into silversmithing?”. When I thought about it and shared my story, I realized how unusual it is for a girl to grow up in a small southern town hardware store and become a contemporary silversmith. Really?!

For less lengthy answers to frequently asked questions, visit my FAQ page on my website!

 

Hyperallergic – February 22, 2018

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Hyperallergic Article:

Artists and Designers Tell New Stories of Old Silver

by Sarah Archer

The Hyperallergic article”Artists and Designers Tell New Stories of Old Silver” by Sarah Archer features the silver “Pillinger” Kaminer Haislip and Constantin Boym collaborated on for the Museum of the City of New York exhibition New York Silver: Then and Now. See below for excepts from Hyperallergic’s online article and click on the link at the bottom to view the entire article.

“The difference between these two high-profile silver endeavors is that while Tiffany’s tips its hat to Pop Art with a Warholian copy-and-paste premise, New York Silver: Then and Now mines history to produce something totally original. The artists and designers in the Museum of the City of New York show have explored the silver objects of another world — that of New York of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, and thoughtfully interpreted their forms to speak to contemporary concerns. Doing so in a precious metal, the material of heirlooms and presentation vases, gives the effort the respect it’s due.”

“It’s not an accident that silver makes us think of grandma, whether or not our own personal grandmas actually collected, used, or displayed silver — most of them may not have. But grandmothers are culturally coded as the keepers of domestic tradition. “Grandmother’s silver” may actually be silver-plate rather than sterling, but the phrase still sounds rather refined. The works in Falino’s exhibition are designed to upend this idea, but they largely do so with a posh accent. The contemporary works range from subtle to campy, which makes them good analogs to silver from different time periods — colonial silver looks positively minimalist when compared with the flamboyant spectacle of a Victorian presentation vase. There are some witty takes on forms of hollowware that have long fallen out of regular use.

In response to John Hastier’s lovely 1750 silver porringer (a small bowl with a decorative handle), the industrial designer Constantin Boym and silversmith Kaminer Haislip created the “Pillinger,” a small dish whose handle is decorated with a design of round and oblong pills.”

Artists and Designers Tell New Stories of Old Silver

Metalsmith Magazine – February 2018

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Metalsmith magazine featured on their cover the silver Pillinger silversmith Kaminer Haislip collaborated with industrial designer Constantin Boym on for the Museum of the City of New York’s exhibition New York Silver, Then and Now. It was also included in the article about the historic and contemporary silver exhibition. The New York silver focused exhibition will be on display at the museum until June 2018.

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Silver Showing with The Charleston Silver Lady – November 2016

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Dawn Corley, also known as The Charleston Silver Lady, is an antiques historian and expert on silver. She will have a special showing of Kaminer Haislip’s contemporary silver objects and jewelry at her Lexington, SC location on Thursday, November 17, 2016. The event will take place from 4pm-7pm that day.

In addition to Kaminer’s work, she will have on display antique objects and silver pieces from her own private collection.

The event will be hosted at 212 East Main Street, Lexington, SC 29072. Please use the side door as a private entrance. Parking is available for guests in a parking garage across the street as well as at a BB&T bank next door.

Exhibition Announcement for November 2014!

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The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is a premier exhibition and sale of contemporary American craft and will include 195 of the best craft artists in the United States.  The exhibition will be held Thursday November 6 – Sunday November 9 with a Preview Party opening the show Wednesday November 5.  Silversmith Kaminer Haislip will be exhibiting in the highly competitive show and will have both jewelry and silver objects for sale.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show is presented annually by the Museum’s Women’s Committee and Craft Show Committee for the benefit of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Funds raised are used to purchase works of art and craft for the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to fund conservation and publication projects, and to support exhibitions and education programs.

http://pmacraftshow.org/