Museum of Arts and Design Presents 26th Edition of MAD About Jewelry

Dora Haralambaki (Greece), Blume Collection

Annual show and sale featuring global gathering of contemporary jewelry artists working at the intersection of art, craft, and design 

MAD ABOUT JEWELRY
Tuesday, May 5–Saturday, May 8, 2026

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) presents the 26th edition of MAD About Jewelry, its celebrated annual exhibition and sale and one of the most influential showcases of contemporary artist-made jewelry in the United States. Bringing together 45 artists from 20 countries, the exhibition highlights the extraordinary breadth of approaches in the field today, from innovative uses of traditional metals to experimental materials such as glass, paper, textiles, and reclaimed objects. For more than two decades, MAD About Jewelry has offered collectors and the public a rare opportunity to meet artists, learn about their creative processes, and acquire one-of-a-kind wearable works of art directly from the makers.

MAD About Jewelry 2026 reflects MAD’s longstanding commitment to advancing contemporary craft and design. The exhibition transforms the museum’s gallery into a global marketplace of ideas and materials, where emerging and established artists present jewelry that challenges conventions of adornment while exploring themes of identity, memory, architecture, nature, and material innovation.

The benefit show and sale kick off with an Opening Benefit Preview on Tuesday, May 5, offering guests early access to the show, exclusive first-look shopping alongside cocktails, followed by a festive buffet dinner with participating artists at Robert restaurant.

Artists in this year’s exhibition explore jewelry through material experimentation, craft, and sculptural form. Ana Norman (USA) creates hand-sculpted jewelry from polymer clay, producing small narrative assemblages that capture moments, places, and memories. Fatma Mostafa (Egypt) integrates traditional embroidery with metal to create richly textured jewelry emphasizing color and surface. Raluca Buzura (Spain) works with porcelain, transforming the material through high-temperature firing to create delicate sculptural adornments. Sabrina Formica (Italy) works with recycled metals, including brass, bronze, and silver. Guided by curiosity and experimentation, her practice honors the history and memory embedded within materials.

Also featured is Eunhee Cho (Korea), whose work reinterprets traditional Korean craft through contemporary jewelry. Using hanji (traditional Korean paper) and the historic jiseung technique of twisting and weaving paper, Cho creates sculptural forms that balance delicacy and strength while reflecting the aesthetics of Korean heritage.

The jewelry will include necklaces, earrings, brooches, rings, and bracelets made from a wide range of materials, reflecting diverse cultural perspectives and artistic approaches. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to meet the participating artists and acquire one-of-a-kind works directly from their makers.

MAD About Jewelry reflects the Museum’s commitment to the exploration of materials and process, as well as its long-standing presentation of jewelry as an art form. MAD is the only American museum with a gallery permanently dedicated to the display of both temporary jewelry exhibitions and its own collection of contemporary and modern studio and art jewelry.

Beyond serving as a premier platform for contemporary jewelry, MAD About Jewelry is also a cornerstone of MAD’s philanthropic efforts, with proceeds supporting the Museum’s exhibitions and educational programs. 

For additional information and event updates, please visit www.madmusem.org or contact Darci Spasojevich at darci.spasojevich@madmuseum.org.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN 

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) champions contemporary makers across creative fields and presents the work of artists, designers, and artisans who apply the highest level of ingenuity and skill. Since the Museum’s founding in 1956 by philanthropist and visionary Aileen Osborn Webb, MAD has celebrated all facets of making and the creative processes by which materials are transformed, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies. Today, the Museum’s curatorial program builds upon a rich history of exhibitions that emphasize a cross-disciplinary approach to art and design and reveals the workmanship behind the objects and environments that shape our everyday lives. MAD provides an international platform for practitioners who are influencing the direction of cultural production and driving twenty-first century innovation and fosters a participatory setting for visitors to have direct encounters with skilled making and compelling works of art and design. For more information, visit madmuseum.org. 

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