FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   
November 25, 2008      
Contact: Alan Revere or
Christine Dhein 415/391-4179
 

Revere Announces Mort Abelson Scholarship

Here’s a new contest in which jewelry designers can win something that will truly help them. San Francisco’s Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts has announced the Mort Abelson Scholarship for its upcoming International Masters Symposium in April.

The contest honors Mort Abelson, who was instrumental in raising the awareness of jewelry design and promoting jewelry designers in the U.S. As President of Jewelers of America from 1975-1977, and then as director until 1995, Mort was responsible for overseeing the massive JA International Trade Show in New York. In order to spice up what was devolving into an ocean of look alike commercial jewelry, Mort had the brilliant idea to bring in a new group of exciting young designers each year. Under the banner, New Designer Gallery, Mort introduced hundreds of talented newcomers over the next three decades. Many launched their careers in the New Designer Gallery and have continued to make their marks as leaders in the field;  David Yurman, Esther Gallant, Whitney Boin, Diana Vincent, Steven Kretchmer, Eddie Sakamoto, Tom Kruskal, Penny Preville, Alex Sepkus, Susan Sadler and many more. Among the list is Alan Revere, who is also one of the country’s preeminent jewelry educators, teaching at the school he founded in 1979. As a designer and also a leader in jewelry training, with a long affiliation with Jewelers of America, Revere’s Academy was selected as the scholarship site. The contest winner will receive an all-expenses-paid scholarship from anywhere in the US to San Francisco (air, lodging, tuition and fees) for a master class of their choice.

With an entry deadline of January 1, 2009, and an entry fee of $25, the contest is open to anyone in the United States. A jury composed of Mort Abelson, Alan Revere, and Cindy Edelstein of the Jewelers Resource Bureau, will select the winner. Jurors will be looking for an individual whose work exemplifies original, innovative, high quality jewelry design. Learn more.

The scholarship is applicable to the Academy’s annual International Masters Symposium in April. For three weeks, prominent jewelry artists, designers, craftsman and experts converge on San Francisco to teach professional skills and techniques in the area of their greatest expertise. Marking the Academy’s own thirtieth anniversary, the upcoming event has an impressive celebrity lineup. David Yurman will teach The Complete Designer, Michael Good will teach Anticlastic Raising, Bernd Munsteiner will teach Cutting Included Gems, Kent Raible will teach Granulation, and more.

This unique scholarship was funded by designers, for designers. At a gathering in 2007 to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the New Designer Gallery, an auction was held to raise funds to honor Mort in this way. Over 50 past participants of the New Designer Gallery and other jewelry artists donated a piece of their work to be auctioned, with the proceeds used for the scholarship. The artists/donors all wanted to acknowledge and thank Mort for his support in a way that perpetuates his energy and insight and helps up-and-coming jewelry designers. By paying back with their own creations, these generous artists are completing the circle and are paving the way for the next generation of jewelry designers.

The Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts is located in San Francisco’s historic jewelry center, the Phelan Building. Schedules, information and a free video tour are available online, or upon request from the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, 760 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94102.  Tel: 415-391-4179 Web Site: www.revereacademy.com; E-mail: info@revereacademy.com; Fax: 415-391-7570

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Download a compressed high resolution image of Mort Abelson.
Photo credit: Cindy Edelstein

Download a PDF of the press release.