Margaret De Patta lecture and curator walk-through on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at OMCA

De Patta's nontraditional use of gemstones and her use of simple lines and structure to create elegant architectural forms are key to understanding her influence on contemporary jewelry design. Margaret De Patta. (American, 1903–64). Pendant, 1959. Collection of the Oakland Museum of California, gift of Eugene Bielawski, The Margaret De Patta Memorial Collection. Photo: Lee Fatherree

Jean DeMouthe, senior collections manager for geology at Cal Academy, will discuss the basics of gemology, focusing on the types of stones used by jeweler Margaret De Patta, followed by a guided tour of Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta with Julie Muñiz, Associate Curator of Craft & Decorative Art at The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA).   The event will take on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 2 p.m.

Studio jeweler Margaret De Patta (1903-1964) blended Constructivist principles with Bauhaus design to create miniature sculpture that moved with its wearer.  Based in the Bay Area, De Patta, who studied with Bauahus sculptor Moholy-Nagy in Chicago is credited with starting the American studio jewelry movement on the West Coast.  The Oakland Museum holds the largest collection of De Patta’s work, most of which was donated by her (third) husband Eugene Bielawski after the artist’s untimely death by suicide in 1964.  “Space-Light-Structure” features more than 60 of De Patta’s iconic jewelry pieces as well as ceramics, flatware, photographs, pictograms, and newly released archival material.   The exhibition also features stunning Moholy-Nagy photographs, some never exhibited publicly before.  Space-Light Structure is a collaboration with the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York and is co-curated by Ursula Isle-Neuman, MAD’s Curator of Jewelry.

Discover Margaret De Patta’s work online by exploring OMCA’s online collection of De Patta creations.

Stay tuned to ARThound for coverage of “Space-Light Structure” and an interview with Julie Muñiz.

Details:   The De Patta lecture begins at 2 p.m on Sunday, March 25, 2012.  The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland.   General Admission to OMCA is $12.00.