The MCD has two new exhibitions now open through Feb. 8. Judith Schaechter: Super/Natural is an immersive meditation inside an 8-foot-tall stained glass dome featuring 65 vibrant panels. Wunderkammer: The Collection of Susan Beech features an eclectic collection of jewelry that expands the possibilities of wearable art.
‘Super/Natural’
Created during her residency at the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Super/Natural is Judith Schaechter’s most ambitious work to date. Designed to accommodate a single viewer inside, the stained glass dome represents a three-tiered cosmos that reflects her study of biophilic design and its impact on human consciousness. Biophilic principles, by definition, create a connection to nature. These principles are often used in hospitals and office buildings to create “refresh rooms” and nonsecular chapels — places designed to lower stress and foster feelings of serenity and peace.
My goal is to invite viewers into a deeply personal, immersive experience that explores the connections between self, nature, and imagination.
— Judith Schaechter
The 65 panels comprising Super/Natural contain fantastical insects, flora, birds, and beasts. The solitary viewer has a singular experience in the immersive environment — an exploration of individual consciousness and inner worlds. “The imagery in Super/Natural references nature, but it is entirely derived from my imagination. They are intended to evoke the sense of nature as understood by a human mind,” said Schaechter. “My goal is to invite viewers into a deeply personal, immersive experience that explores the connections between self, nature, and imagination.”
In Super/Natural, new light is shed on the often-overlooked art form of stained glass. Working with “flash glass,” a type of hand-blown glass featuring a paper-thin veneer of vibrant color on a clear base, Schaechter pioneered her own painstaking process of sandblasting, etching, and layering colors to achieve her rich surfaces. Seven additional artworks by Schaechter will be featured in this exhibition, sharing themes of natural elements, pattern, and ornament designed to enhance our understanding of nature’s beauty.
‘Wunderkammer: The Collection of Susan Beech’s
Drawing from the renowned private collection of Susan Beech, this exhibition features over 80 pieces, offering visitors a rare glimpse into one of the most noteworthy collections of contemporary jewelry in the United States. Wunderkammer specifically examines the pieces that Susan Beech has chosen to keep and wear herself. This selection examines art as a symbolic artifact, as a purveyor of identity, and the relationship between the object and history. Wunderkammer, meaning “cabinet of curiosities” or “wonder room” is presented in a contemporary context, subverting its connotation of world mastery and colonization.
These jewelry pieces take a global perspective, showcasing artists from 20 countries. Python by David Bielander is an 8-foot-long continuous piece made from titanium that, can be worn in multiple draped configurations. Its fluid structure makes it lifelike, draping like an actual snake with all the evocative associations of the serpent. Ted Noten’s Purse is in keeping with his style of abandoning conventional approaches and our habitual, familiar ways of viewing common objects. Purse features a taxidermied bird encased in plastic, seemingly floating in space, with a conventional metal purse handle on top. Two of Beech’s custom cabinets will be on display, offering another intimate look at the connection between the collector and collection.
The exhibition isn’t just about jewelry, it’s also an examination of the art of collecting. Beech s in an interview with Art Jewelry Forum about a time when she bought a piece of jewelry for the experience. It was a neckpiece titled Casting Swine before Pearls by artist Nancy Worden. The neckpiece consisted of quarters in which the word “swine” was cut out, with cast bronze Barbie doll arms holding pearls in their hands. “I went down to Traver Gallery and bought the piece on the spot. It didn’t matter if I would ever wear it. It was a wake-up call; jewelry didn’t need to have boundaries, and it didn’t even have to be wearable…. Now I’m open to almost anything innovative, with an original voice and well made. I wear jewelry every day and I love it.”
Super/Natural and Wunderkammer: The Collection of Susan Beech are on display at the Museum of Craft and Design through Feb. 8.