Gemma and Janet are new jewels in the crown for Middlesbrough

Talented jewellers Gemma Draper and Janet Hinchliffe McCutcheon have beaten worldwide competition to become Middlesbrough’s first jewellers in residence, thanks to a special collaboration between Teesside University and mima.

Talented jewellers Gemma Draper and Janet Hinchliffe McCutcheon have beaten worldwide competition to become Middlesbrough’s first jewellers in residence, thanks to a special collaboration between Teesside University and mima.

Janet from Middlesbrough and Gemma from Barcelona won the coveted roles after a rigorous selection process against candidates from all over the world.

The two jewellers begin their residency in October 2013, based both at mima and on Teesside University’s campus.

Working alongside students and mima visitors, Janet and Gemma will help develop a new display of jewellery from mima’s world renowned collection. Together they will create unique opportunities for people to get involved in jewellery events, sharing their expertise, skills and passion for decorative adornment.

The project has been realised with a grant of almost £300,000 from the Arts Council and support from Teesside University and it will create a new permanent exhibition which will open to the public in 2014.

The collection, which comprises over 200 objects, represents artist-made jewellery from the 1970s onwards and is both one of the most comprehensive in this country – comparable to those held by the Crafts Council, the V&A Museum and the National Museums of Scotland. The new display will be the first time that such a comprehensive selection of this work has been seen by mima visitors.

mima Senior Curator, James Beighton, said: 'I can’t wait to welcome Gemma and Janet to mima and to work with them on this project, which we hope will change the way people look at jewellery. When I speak to jewellery experts around the world they have all heard of Middlesbrough’s jewellery collection, but few of them have ever made the journey to visit it in person. This project will put that right, making Middlesbrough a prime destination for jewellery enthusiasts, whilst revealing some of the treasure in our collection to visitors on our doorstep.'

As part of the project, the jewellers will work with Teesside University designers to develop modules for design courses and develop new courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level to enhance the University’s creative arts offer. The University is widely regarded as an innovative leader in arts and media.

Professor Gerda Roper, Dean of the School of Arts & Media, said: 'Middlesbrough has a great deal to offer in the world of creative arts and this is a fantastic opportunity for the town, mima and Teesside University to reveal the hidden gems of our jewellery making history. We are delighted to be part of a project that will offer a new creative outlet for our students and leave a lasting legacy for the region.'

Janet Hinchliffe McCutcheon lives in Middlesbrough and has a studio at Platform Arts Studios at Middlesbrough railway station. Her jewellery is made using precious metals combined with more unusual materials like wood, textile and paper. Her work is collected and exhibited around the world.

Gemma Draper has studied in Barcelona and at the prestigious Cranbrook Academy in Detroit. She is interested in what jewellery can mean to the individuals and communities who wear it and has an open approach to the materials she uses.

She likes to investigate what a particular material, such as metal, wood, plastic, can do and what it can say about the environment in which is found or made.

This exciting project marks the start of a closer partnership between Teesside University’s School of Arts & Media and mima to work together to engage audiences, develop joint programmes and enhance the cultural offer across the area.

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