Susan Beech lives among all the different objects she collects, including her art jewelry. The various pieces are on display all around her house, along with paintings, photographs, and other fine craft.
In fact, you’ll see many examples of this in Feast, the upcoming book about Beech and her jewelry collection. AJF will present the book during Munich 2025. The panel will include Beech herself, Toni Greenbaum, Barbara Gifford, and Susan Cummins. Please join us for it, at Galerie Handwerk on March 14, 11:30 a.m.
Beech founded the Susan Beech Mid-Career Artist Grant in 2017. The $20,000 grant, which ran through 2023 and was the largest art jewelry cash award in the US, had the objective of recognizing a mid-career artist who’s made a substantial contribution to the field of art jewelry. Cristina Filipe won the 2017 grant for the production of her book Contemporary Jewellery in Portugal. Tiff Massey won in 2019, for the creation of an immersive technological and hip-hop environment. Iris Eichenberg used her 2021 winnings to create Where Words Fail, a retrospective exhibition and catalog. And Khanya Mthethwa’s 2023 win supports a project that mixes African jewelry with 3D-printing to reimagine the designs of indigenous cultural objects.
AJF: Before we talk about the Susan Beech Mid-Career Artist Grant, we’d like to know more about you, your interests, and your projects at the moment. You’re a very important collector, and not only of art jewelry. Tell us more about your relationship with art and how it’s present in your life.
Susan Beech: From the time I was a child, I loved collecting. Over the years, I collected beaded purses, photography, paintings, and ceramics, as well as Art Deco objects. Eventually I was introduced to art jewelry and the rest is history. I live with my collections, including the jewelry, which is throughout my house. You will be able to see all of this in my upcoming book. At the moment, I am downsizing, and I am not collecting much.
Regarding art jewelry, you’ve mentioned in earlier interviews that you started by owning traditional jewelry and later gained interest in art jewelry. What sparked your interest in art jewelry, and how has that interest changed over the years?
Susan Beech: I inherited my mother’s jewelry when I was quite young. I didn’t choose any of the pieces. For me, contemporary jewelry has always been far more interesting.
Is there a theme to your collection? Besides the attraction to the work, are there some specific criteria to your choices? Can you identify some patterns in your collection?
Susan Beech: I choose the best pieces I can. I do wear most of my collection, so wearability is a factor, though not a requirement. There are a lot of animals in my collection, both as material and figuratively. I also like to collect certain artists in depth. I enjoy supporting their work as it develops over time.
You’ve talked often about the importance of museums and of donations to museums. How do you see the situation at present?
Susan Beech: In my downsizing, I have donated large portions of my collection to the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, in Washington, DC, and to the Museum of Arts and Design, in New York City. I am delighted to know that so many pieces from my collection will be available to the larger public. I am also thrilled to know the presence of my collection in the museums will continue to support the artists that I have come to love.
Besides your important collection, you made a radical contribution to the jewelry field with the creation of the Susan Beech Mid-Career Artist Grant. It was the most important jewelry prize ever when it was created, and you certainly motivated other collectors who are now continuing your path. What caused you to create this grant?
Susan Beech: I understand how difficult the middle years are for everyone, especially artists. Job changes, family commitments, and other responsibilities can make it very challenging for artists to complete complex projects or important bodies of work. Most grants and opportunities seem to be targeted toward emerging artists. Mid-career artists do need a lot of support, so the grant was created especially for them. This is why there were age requirements.
You yourself served as a juror for the grant, except for one year. What caught your eye in the applications?
Susan Beech: I wanted to support artists and projects that would add something to the larger conversation. Cristina Filipe’s book on Portuguese jewelry—she was the first winner of the grant, in 2017, with a researched book—did just this.
Now that the grant has come to an end, what do you think about the results? Was it everything you expected it to be?
Susan Beech: I didn’t have expectations per se. I loved reading all the proposals and getting a better understanding of what artists were thinking about. I also loved being introduced to artists I didn’t know.
Can you tell us about other jewelry-related plans you might have? We know there’s an important book coming soon …
Susan Beech: Yes! There is a book coming out. It has been a long project to complete, and I cannot be more excited to see it in print.
And, as a final question, what are your expectations for the future of the field? What would you like to see happen?
Susan Beech: My hope is that younger collectors support contemporary jewelers as well as the galleries that do the hard work of educating the public. Many artists and galleries will be cherished in my heart forever.
Thank you for your time! Art Jewelry Forum and the jewelry community is immensely indebted to you and grateful for your generosity.
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