Interview with Dr. Petra Hölscher about the 1st Summit of Jewelry Classes at SCHMUCKmünchen 2026

Anna Wójcik-Korbas: I would like to ask about the new format of this exhibition. It is not a typical showcase like those usually held at the Pinakothek der Moderne during Munich Schmuck week.

Petra Hölscher: I am not certain we can speak of a fixed format yet, although we are currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of Die Neue Sammlung. Because of our anniversary, the space on the second floor is occupied by a special exhibition, which led me to reflect on how jewelry fits into this milestone. I discovered that 1996 was the year our house purchased its first piece to build a jewelry collection, and in that same year, we received the Danner Jewelry Collection as a permanent loan.

Thirty years felt like a significant reason to celebrate. Furthermore, I realized that twenty years ago, in 2006, we held our first monographic jewelry exhibition Hermann Jünger. Found Objkects, which felt like the beginning of everything for me. Additionally, we have been hosting exhibitions for jewelry classes since 2010. With these three major milestones, I felt it was time for a big birthday party, and there is no better community to celebrate with than jewelry artists. Inspired by the enthusiasm for last year's Kookmin University exhibition, I decided to organize the 1st Summit of International Jewelry Classes.


AW: That is a lot to celebrate. You decided to invite emerging young artists and bring together students from forty-two jewelry classes. That is an impressive number.

PH: Our name, Die Neue Sammlung, means "The New Collection," and one of our core aims is to look beyond contemporary design and jewelry to see what the future holds. Inviting jewelry classes is a way to witness that future firsthand. We will have students from forty-two classes representing twenty-four nations and four continents. I am incredibly grateful that teachers, students and alumni are traveling from as far as New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and China, as well as from all over Europe. The fact that all of them are coming to Munich to take part in this event is truly unbelievable to me.


AW: What were the criteria for choosing these specific classes? Was it a purely curatorial choice?

PH: It happened quite naturally. I know professors and teachers because I travel extensively to keep up with developments in the field. I initially approached a few of them to see what they thought of the idea, and when they joined enthusiastically, I asked for further recommendations – for example, to ensure we included classes from South and Middle America. I originally thought that if ten classes agreed to this "crazy" idea, it would be a success. Instead, we were so overwhelmed with interest that I even had to decline a last minute request because we are completely full.


AW: This is a very unusual event – a pop-up exhibition presented for only one evening.

PH: It is not just one exhibition; we are presenting forty-two exhibitions simultaneously. Every class is preparing something unique for the evening. For instance, a class from Argentina will wear ponchos with their objects attached to them, making them immediately recognizable as a group. A German class plans to wear black umbrellas on their heads to display their work, while others will use music stands. There is even a class from Estonia that has ordered a trampoline. It will be fascinating to see how it all comes together.


AW: Looking at this young generation, is it possible to identify specific directions in contemporary jewelry, or is it more about individual approaches?

PH: That is a difficult question. We have the impression that Asian classes are currently leading the way. They are extraordinary in their use of natural and recycled materials, often offering a new perspective on traditional forms like brooches, rings, or necklaces. Last year's Kookmin University in Seoul presentation was outstanding, a sentiment shared by many colleagues who have since asked to borrow those pieces for other exhibitions. We should also keep a close eye on China, where artists are gaining more liberty and finding their own way rather than following masters. I encourage everyone to come on Friday evening to see if we can find the future of jewelry in these pieces.


AW: Are you planning a publication or an online documentation for those who cannot attend in person?

PH: A traditional publication was difficult to arrange in advance because the schools were working on their presentations until the last minute. However, we wanted to capture the unique atmosphere of the evening. We have hired a filmmaker to create content for YouTube and social media, and the Bavarian state broadcaster will also be present.

We do have a small printed publication where each of the forty-two classes describes the aims of their studies. It also includes a list of all the students' names – for some, it is the first time they will see their name in print. This booklet also serves as a guide for visitors, inspired by the "pilgrim books" from Santiago de Compostela. We asked each class to create a sticker or a button so that visitors can collect them in their books as they journey through the exhibition. The little publication was designed by the talented young graphic designers Carlota Barberan Madruga and Anna Schreiber, who brought a lot of fresh ideas to the table.


AW: The event is called the "First Summit." Do you intend to continue this project in the future?

PH: The future of the summit does not depend on me personally. It is an open formula. Anyone could organize a second edition in America or a third in Asia. I hope this serves as a starting point for something we do together as a global community. We are one big family, and if someone wants to host the next summit in three or five years, I would be happy to support them.


Date: March 6th 2026, 19:00 – 24:00 h.
Venue: Die Neue Sammlung, Barer Straße 40, 80333 Munich.
Starting at 10:00 PM, the band SASEBO – featuring well-known figures from the jewelry scene: David Bielander, Yutaka Minegishi, and special guest Mari Ishikawa – will perform a live concert.







 

About the Interviewee

Dr. Petra Hölscher studied Art History, Romance Languages, German Literature and Industrial Anthropology at Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel. In 1999 she initially worked at Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (State Art Collections Dresden), before moving to Munich to join Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser Gärten und Seen (State Department for Bavaria’s castles, parks and lakes). In Dresden she was responsible for the main exhibition Jugendstil in Dresden. Aufbruch in die Moderne at the Castle in 1999 and in Munich for the exhibition Pracht und Zeremoniell. Die Möbel der Residenz München at the Munich Residence in 2002.

In November 2002 she assumed her current position as a curator, since 2007 senior curator, at Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum. In this position she did and still does exhibitions about international Industrial Design and studio jewelry which is always accompanied by a publication – Anton Cepka, Thomas Gentille, Tone Vigeland, Jablonec ’68, Therese Hilbert and at least Warwick Freeman in 2025 – as well she has written and co-authored numerous articles and books. She is also responsible for museum's acquisitions in both fields. 2005–2019 she gave lectures on design history at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University; 2009–2011 she was also asked by the Georg-Simon-Ohm-Hochschule in Nuremberg to teach. In 2020 she published with Schmuck – Jewelry the first publication about the jewelry collections for which Die Neue Sammlung is responsible and which are situated at Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. Since 2021 she is member of the SCIENTIFIC NETWORK The German Schools of Applied Arts: artistic and craft training institutions in the long 19th century.
 

About the author

Anna Wójcik-Korbas (b. 1995, Poland) is an art historian, researcher, and curator of contemporary jewelry. From 2021 to 2025, she served as the coordinator of the Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER. She is a member of the International Amber Association and a co-curator of the Unnecessary Jewellery exhibition.
 
This interview was supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the NetWorks programme.