mima’s world-class Jewellery Gallery opens to the public

On Saturday 4 October mima and Teesside University will unveil a brand new Jewellery Gallery with a weekend of free workshops, tours and activities for all ages.

Over 100 pieces of mima’s internationally renowned jewellery collection will be presented to the public in its first permanent gallery space since the opening of this iconic building in 2007.

To mark the opening weekend, mima will be offering free tours of the jewellery gallery by Jewellers in Residence Janet Hinchliffe-McCuthcheon and Gemma Draper, free performances by Streetwise Opera and a special free jewellery family art trolley. There will also be free face-painting throughout the Sunday.

mima’s jewellery collection is recognised as one of the most significant in the UK, alongside those held by the V&A, National Museums Scotland and the Crafts Council. Started at the Cleveland Craft Centre in 1984, the collection has since amassed pieces ranging from bangles and neckpieces, to rings and brooches by renowned UK and international designers including Ted Noten, Karl Fritsch, Wendy Ramshaw, Caroline Broadhead, Felieke Van Der Leest and Emmy Van Leersum amongst many others.

In total the collection is worth over £200,000, with the earliest piece dating from the 1970s. The gallery will mean the collection can be exhibited fully for the first time, in an exciting and interactive space that uses state of the art digital technology and films to bring jewellery alive.

To celebrate the gallery launch, independent British jewellery designers Tatty Devine will be gifting 15 pieces of its distinctive handmade jewellery to mima’s collection, including brooches, bracelets and necklaces. Each piece is an iconic design from the year it represents, one for every year of the brand’s history.

The first 100 pieces from the collection to go on show in the new gallery space will include 10 selected by members of the public who attended an audience panel at mima at the beginning of the year. Highlights across the collection will include:

• Several pieces by Dutch designer Felieke Van der Leest, known for using animals in her work. It will include her famous Emperor Penguin Freddy with Polar Bear Claw Necklace from 2005, which illustrates the fictional tale of an Emperor Penguin called Freddy who fought and killed a Polar Bear, turning its fur into a coat and its claw into a necklace • A gold bracelet by Giovanni Corvaja • Ted Noten’s Erenhot necklace, created during his travels from Tokyo to Amsterdam in 2004. Throughout his 42-day trip he collected items at each stop he made; this particular piece was collected in Erenhot City, Mongolia • Work by Wendy Ramshaw, whose solo show bringing together 50 years of work opens at mima in September. This will be the last chance for the public to view these works together before the collection is divided and housed at different arts institutions across the world • The Arson at Sea brooch by New Zealand based designer Octavia Cook, who is inspired by the history of Captain Cook and the New Worlds voyage • Dorothy Hogg’s V&A Secrets necklace, created during her residency at the V&A in 2008. After being locked out of her studio one evening, Dorothy created this piece from found objects in the corridor • 19 pieces by pioneers of the New Jewellery movement, Gjis Bakker, Emmy Van Leersum and Otto Kunzli.

As part of the project, jewellery artists Gemma Draper and Janet Hinchliffe McCutcheon were recently appointed jewellers in residence at Teesside University, where they are currently working alongside students to share their expertise and skills in decorative adornment.

On the opening of the new Jewellery Gallery, mima curator Alix Collingwood commented: 'We are extremely proud of our jewellery collection, which is unique in the UK in its focus and comparable with important collections of contemporary jewellery at the V&A and the Crafts Council. It’s an amazing resource to have in Middlesbrough and to be able to open it up to the public in this way is incredible.'

Professor Gerda Roper, Dean of Teesside University’s School of Arts & Media, added: 'Jewellery experts around the world know about Middlesbrough’s renowned collection and now they will have the opportunity to visit, making the town a prime destination for jewellery enthusiasts and creative arts students. This will be a lasting legacy for the region.'

The gallery has been realised thanks to a grant of almost £300,000 from Arts Council England and support from Teesside University.

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find out more about mima’s jewellery gallery