Enamel Experience - International Badges Exhibition

"Enamel Experience - International Badges Exhibition" originated at the Museum der Arbeit in Hamburg, Germany. The museum is located in The Company Carl Wild Badge Factory, which was in production from 1901 to 1989 and was forced to close due to cheaper competition overseas.
The historical badge collection includes badges made for the military, various societies, commercial organizations and charities. The contemporary artists have re-interpreted these badges to create a series of new ones.

Badges have a rich history through their messages and techniques. Elizabeth Turrell, the organizer of the exhibition, says, "The making of badges, medals and regalia gives artists a means of portable communication, including subversive messages, pleas for peace, and satirical images. The badge can be produced as a one off, a limited-edition or commercially produced by the hundreds or thousands."

Three prestigious international artists in the exhibition have taken very different approaches to re-creating the badge. Prominent British artist Wendy Ramshaw makes both public art and jewelry. Her work is found in museums and private collections throughout the world, such as the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., the Cooper Hewitt Museum and the Art and Design Museum in New York and the Victorian and Albert Museum in London. Her badge was inspired by the intrepid polar explorer Ann Daniels who told the BBC how she saw a "rainbow around the sun". The image caught Wendy's attention and she created this sight in the form of a badge.

Tamar de Vries Winter, originally from Israel, lives in the UK where she creates jewelry and hollowware. She is highly influenced by ancient cultures. Her work can be found in many prestigious collections such as the Jewish Museum in New York and the Victoria and Albert in London. She wants to communicate the message of peace through her badge. She says, "The vision expressed by this badge follows that of the prophet Isaiah - 'We shall transform their iron crosses into olive branches'. I wish to dedicate the badge to the memory of my grandfather Josef Lachmann who for all his life as a father, physician, soldier and citizen fought for his ideals."
The photo on the badge is from a collection of photographs taken in Germany and Palestine in the first part of the twentieth century that she inherited. It is a reminder to her of the world they have lost.

Mark Hartung is a U.S. artist. He originally studied glass at Kent State in Ohio. He has been working in enamel since 1989 and is a recipient of many Ohio Art Council Grants. Mark was inspired by badges with numbers he found in the collection of the Museum der Arbeit. He took this element and used it as a decorative motif to create his striking images.