Curating Schmuck 2023 with Caroline Broadhead

In this episode, Sofie speaks with the curator selected for the Schmuck 2023 showcase in Munich. Having been an artist for over 50 years, and as an educator and curator of various exhibitions, Caroline Broadhead has a finger on the pulse of contemporary jewellery. We will discuss her selection for the exhibition, the key themes currently fascinating and challenging jewellers and her career in the medium and beyond.

For more than fifty years, Caroline has run her own practice exploring objects that come into contact with and interact with the body. Much of her work is jewellery, but it has also developed into larger scale work, exploring outer extents of the body as seen through light, shadows and reflections and movement. The work operates with a number of contexts, spanning jewellery, performance and art. Significant elements of her work have included collaborations with choreographers which build intimate and highly charged atmospheres in dance performances, and a number of which use historic buildings as both inspiration and location.

She has lectured, taught and exhibited widely and her work is represented in many public collections worldwide. A recent book and exhibition at CODA Museum, Netherlands showcased work spanning four decades. Other acknowledgements include: Jerwood Prize for Applied Arts: Textiles, 1997; Textiles International Open, 2004, and The Goldsmiths Craft & Design Council Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017.

Having retired as Course Leader, BA Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins in 2018, she is now Professor Emerita there.