Jamie Bennett

Bio

Born in Philadelphia in 1948, Jamie Bennett stands out as both an esteemed artist and a dedicated educator, leaving an enduring impact on the fields of contemporary jewelry and metalwork. With a creative trajectory that has unfolded over more than four decades, Bennett has earned acclaim for his exceptional vision and groundbreaking approaches. His artistic mastery is evident in meticulous craftsmanship and inventive incorporation of color, form, and ornamentation. His development of original techniques and deep engagement of material and process make him one of the most important artists working in the field today.

Professor Emeritus of the world-renowned State University of New York at New Paltz Metal/Jewelry Program, Bennett was the director from 1986 - 2014 working closely with luminaries such as Robert Ebendorf, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, and Fred Woell among others. Recognized in 2022 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of North American Goldsmiths, he also received the Creative Artist Award from The Enamellist Society. The 2016 recipient of James Renwick Alliance’s Outstanding Educator Award he is also a three-time recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship and has been awarded multiple New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships. In 2009 Bennett was elected into the Eileen Webb College of Fellows of the American Crafts Council.

Jamie Bennett’s work is in the permanent collection of museums around the world including the American Museum of Art, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Boston Museum of Fine Art; Cooper Hewitt Museum, Smithsonian Institution, NY; Die Neue Sammlung, Pinakothek Museum, Munich, Germany; Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia; Kunstsmuseum of Art, in Oslo and Trondheim, Norway; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA; Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Museum of Arts and Design, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Museum of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA; Yale Museum of Art, Yale University, CT;  Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

Bennett's participation in many pioneering exhibitions such as American Masters at the Victoria and Albert Museum; Jewellery Moves at the National Museum of Scotland; New Times, New Thinking Jewellery in Europe, and America at the National Museum of Whales underscore his influence and impact in contemporary jewelry.
 

Statement

The American enamelist, Jamie Bennett employs rich colors and delicate brushwork inspired by his studies of microscopic organisms, the natural world, and cultural influences gleaned during travels to Italy, Morocco, and Turkey. Edge of the Sublime traced the evolution of Bennett’s career that began with fragmented, abstract forms and grew into a celebration of pattern and decoration.

Enamel was invented as an art material meant to mimic jewels. I think that its preciousness got the better of it over time. As I began to work with enamel, I realized it wasn’t the processes associated with enamel, such as cloisonné, I was interested in, but the characteristics of the material itself.  It has great visual and tactile breadth. This still challenges me and provides, within the context of a specific practice, a fair range of possible outcomes.