FuseNews
Relevant and timely information and news for all those interested in enameling. Anyone wishing to list an event, exhibition, call for entries, or any other time sensitive information please fill out our Submission Form.
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 Enamelist Society News
Other Enamel News
Exhibitions
Calls For Entries
Opportunities
Conferences / Symposia
Guild News
Classified - Free listings for any other information not listed above
Enamelist Society News
Fusion Conference 2007 Catalogues and CDs for sale
Catalogues and CD's from the 2007 Fusion exhibitions are now available. Order on-line or via mail.
2009 Grant Applicaitons Available
The 2009 Enamelist Society Grant application is now available online.
Other Enamel News
Enamel Arts Foundation
| On May 1, 2008, Bernard N. Jazzar, President of the Board of Directors, announced the newly established non-profit Enamel Arts Foundation. The Enamel Arts Foundation is dedicated to promoting awareness, understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary enameling. Mr Jazzar, who, along with his partner Harold B. Nelson, is considered to be one of the leading authorities in the field of 20th century enameling, stated that the Enamel Arts Foundation will fulfill its mission by “collecting, preserving, researching, documenting, publishing and exhibiting modern and contemporary enamels at art museums and university art galleries throughout the US. |
Dorothy Sturm
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The Foundation plans to fulfill its mission through the following short- and long-term initiatives:
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Acquire and maintain the finest modern and contemporary enamels for the Foundation’s permanent collection |
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Acquire artists’ papers and documents and maintain an archive of these and other materials related to the history of modern and contemporary enameling |
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Record, catalogue and photographically document the collection in a manner consistent with national museum standards |
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Conserve work in the collection on an as needed basis |
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Conduct research on the artists and artwork in the Foundation’s collection and disseminate that information to the public in a variety of formats including articles, catalogues, books and via electronic media |
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Utilize the Foundation’s collection, as well as loans, to develop a series of exhibitions (retrospectives as well as group and theme shows) to circulate to museums and university galleries throughout the country |
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Develop a website and serve as a resource to curators, scholars, artists and the general public on the history of modern and contemporary enameling in this country |
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Identify a space for a non-profit gallery or develop a relationship with an existing museum where the Foundation’s collection may be housed and displayed in perpetuity |
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Develop an endowment to support the work of the Foundation |
For more information, contact Harold Nelson
1704 Armacost Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90025-3804
310-826-8331
(posted 5/4/08)
New On-Line Kiln Videos and Audios
 MESQUITE, TX - Paragon Industries, L.P. has just added videos and audios to their website. The videos cover electric kiln maintenance and operation.
Paragon has loaded low- and high-resolution versions of each video so that you can watch them even with a dial-up connection. Learn how to cement a broken firebrick, replace a heating element, coat a shelf with kiln wash, use element staples, operate a digital controller, and more.
The audios are interviews with teachers of pottery, metal clay, and glass. Audio files are in mp3 format, which you can listen to from a computer or an mp3 player. Instructions for downloading are included.
Go to www.paragonweb.com . You will find the video/audio link on the left side of the page.
New California Lead Law - How it Affects Enamelists
California has a new law regarding lead in jewelry. AB1681 was enacted to limit the amount of lead in jewelry, especially in children’s jewelry. The law affects children’s jewelry sold in California after September 1, 2007, and goes into affect for all jewelry sold in California as of March 1, 2008. You can read all about this law on California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control website.
Some of you may wonder whether the new law means that you can’t use leaded enamels in the work you sell in California. If you aren’t making jewelry for children or for body piercing purposes, then don’t worry! The law classifies cloisonné and glass components as Class 1 substances. You may use both of these substances in jewelry for adults. Furthermore, a close reading of the law makes it clear that a leaded-enameled component can be used in a pierced earring for an adult, just as long as the enameled part doesn’t touch the body or go through the piercing.
You may also wonder about which metals are considered acceptable under the new law. Sterling silver and karat gold are both fine. The Business FAQ states that copper is considered a Class 2 material. No mention is made of fine silver, but it appears that it would be considered a Class 2 material as well. No specific mention is made of silver clay either, but since it conforms to standard ASTM D4236 it would be considered a Class 2 or Class 3 material.
There is an interesting discussion of this topic on the Orchid website. The thread is called CA’s Lead-Containing Jewelry Law.
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