Adam Neeley’s “Modern Alchemy” in the Laguna Art Museum
Modern Alchemy
The Fusion of Art and Nature in the Jewelry Designs of Adam Neeley
FEBRUARY 17, 2024 – JULY 29, 2024
Adam Neeley is an award-winning artist-jeweler who transforms precious metals and gemstones into wearable art by traditional goldsmith techniques and modern technologies.
His unique designs are inspired by the vast variety of shapes and colors found in the natural world. In fact, it was his childhood interest in collecting rocks that eventually drew Neeley to the master goldsmiths in Italy, where he would study the art of jewelry making. Eventually he developed his own style and techniques of goldwork that have won him international acclaim, as well as prestigious awards across the jewelry industry.
Through many years of trial and error, Adam Neeley developed a never-before-seen technique that he calls Spectra Gold, which seamlessly changes one color of gold into another. This is accomplished by a labor-intensive forging process to create a subtle gradient, or ombré, of color from yellow gold to white gold and more. This, along with his creation of totally new colors of gold, adds to the sense that his jewelry is created by a modern-day alchemist.
This exhibition will explore both the creative working processes of this innovative jeweler, and some of the raw and faceted gems and minerals used by him to create his art. Collaborating with world-class lapidaries, such as Stephen Avery, Neeley creates truly imaginative pieces that go beyond contemporary designs into the realm of dreams and fantasy inspired by imagination and the world around him. Artist-jeweler Adam Neeley is a true twenty-first century alchemist.
To read about the exhibition as well as the opening of the Laguna Art Museum, Tap Here!
The Museum of California Art and a center of culture for Laguna Beach
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https://www.visitlagunabeach.com/directory/laguna-art-museum/
Laguna Art Museum is the museum of California art. Its mission is to collect, care for, and exhibit works of art that were created by California artists or represent the life and history of the state. Through its permanent collection, its special loan exhibitions, its educational programs, and its library and archive, the museum enhances the public’s knowledge and appreciation of California art of all periods and styles, and encourages art-historical scholarship in this field.
Laguna Art Museum stands just steps from the Pacific Ocean in the beautiful city of Laguna Beach. The museum is proud to continue the tradition of the Laguna Beach Art Association, founded in 1918 by the early California artists who had discovered the town and transformed it into a vibrant arts community. The gallery that the association built in 1929 is part of today’s Laguna Art Museum.
LAM is situated upon a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a scenic spot originally chosen by Laguna Beach artists in 1929. The museum collects and exhibits artwork solely created by California artists, or artwork that represents the state itself. The museum’s collection ranges across all periods and styles since the nineteenth-century, maintaining a dynamic balance between the historical and the contemporary. LAM seeks to develop and circulate a permanent collection of California art while presenting it to a wider audience, and to serve the local community as a cultural and social institution.
Laguna Art Museum exists to enlighten and engage people of all ages through art that embodies and preserves the California experience.
Laguna Art Museum (LAM) is thrilled to offer tours for every audience. We aim to make your visit an occasion that you will not forget! To book a group tour, please contact tours@lagunaartmuseum.org. A specialized booking form for adult and university audiences will be available soon.
