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Lecture: The Womb of Our Architecture
Online lecture via Zoom, Monday 11th October, 5.30pm BST
The Womb of Our Architecture and other work, Emmie Ray Hubbard, artist.
A zoom link will be sent by email to members in advance of the lecture.
Lecture: Medal making in times of crisis
Online Lecture via Zoom, Monday 8th November, 5.30pm GMT
Medal making in times of crisis, Livia Turnbull, Assistant Curator, Victoria and Albert Museum.
A zoom link will be sent by email to members in advance of the lecture.
BAMS Student Medal Project 2020 prizes and awards
The 28th British Art Medal Society Student Medal Project announced its winners on 10th April 2021, after a hard year of lockdowns and difficulties at the art colleges all over the UK. Nevertheless, 14 UK colleges, plus 1 from Bulgaria, participated, creating one of the most accomplished results the judges have seen. An additional category called Design/Prototype was created for this year when foundries were closed, and this resulted in a First Prize winner from Cardiff Metropolitan, whose design was called ‘Black Hair Matters’: Bethan Grace Mason took up one suggested theme of Black Art Matters and researched an age-old/modern art form that exists among women, which speaks of identity and cultural belonging. In the category of cast bronze medals – from a total of 74 – Kiki Birtles of Falmouth University won the Grand First Prize with her medal called ‘Inherited’, a narrative on two sides that examines the feelings of a younger generation that has inherited a threatened planet, but has hopes of great achievements.
The Student Medal Project is supported by the Goldsmiths’ Centre, the Worshipful Company of Founders – which gives the Grand First Prize of £1000 – and the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers alias Wire Workers; Thomas Fattorini Ltd gives the Grand Second Prize of £500; The Worshipful Company of Cutlers, Pangolin Editions, G W Lunt and others provide provide further prizes for Design/Prototypes and cast medals. Several exhibitions are planned for 2021, if permitted.
Director, Marcy Leavitt Bourne
2021 Marsh Award and BAMS President Medal
The 2021 Marsh Award for the Encouragement of Medallic Art is to be awarded to Dauvit Alexander, Birmingham School of Jewellery. The BAMS President Medal is to be awarded to Iranian artist, Parviz Tanavoli. Both have been supporters of the Student Medal Project.
Dauvit Alexander
Soon after taking up his teaching post at Birmingham School of Jewellery, Dauvit set about organising a medal symposium as an introduction to medals and the BAMS Student Medal Project at the School. He gave his own time to set up an evening medal club to get the students thinking about medals as an art form and turning their ideas to reality. The resulting SMP submissions were very impressive. In 2017 he organised another medal symposium with an excellent exhibition of student medals, and hosted the SMP prize-giving that year. His enthusiasm for the scheme, and holding medal-related events, brought the project to life and gave students the chance to meet established medal-makers and collectors of the art form. BAMS is pleased to recognise Dauvit’s passion for bringing the art of medal-making to new generations.
Parviz Tanavoli
A towering figure in Middle Eastern art and an inspiration to young artists. Iranian born artist Parviz Tanavoli was commissioned to make a medal for BAMS resulting in Hands and Grille in 2006. He taught sculpture / art / metalwork at the University in Tehran, and subsequently taught young artists in his own studio. His students have taken part in the Student Medal Project on three occasions, creating a very active interest in medal-making in Iran.
New design for the BAMS President’s Medal
BAMS is delighted to announce that a new design by Dauvit Alexander is to become the society’s highest award. The President’s Medal is given to individuals and organisations who are considered to have made a significant contribution to the understanding, appreciation and encouragement of the art of the medal. The new design will be presented to recipients from 2022. Many congratulations to Dauvit!
Dauvit Alexander, photo taken by Simon Murphy, 2015.
Ron Dutton Award – invitation to apply
The BAMS Ron Dutton Award — invitation to apply
This award is given annually by the British Art Medal Society. It has been made by possible by a generous gift to BAMS from the sculptor and medallist Ron Dutton, which the society received in 2020.
The award is given to one or more UK-based artists who either are set to graduate from art college during the calendar year of the announcement of the award or have graduated within 12 months of the announcement. It is intended to help artists to continue to make medals after graduation.
Activities that the award is intended to assist include (but are not limited to): equipping a medal-making studio with the necessary tools travelling in order to research medals contacting organisations and individuals to encourage them to commission medals
travelling to and spending time with an experienced medallist (the society can help with placements),
Proposals are now invited from eligible artists, that is, UK-based artists who graduated in 2020 or are set to graduate in 2021. Applications ranging from €200 to €1,000 will be considered.
Proposals should include:
l. The name and full contact details of the applicant.
2. A curriculum vitae and brief statement on plans for the future.
3. Images of recent work (6 maximum).
- A brief explanation Of how the applicant intends to spend the award (200 words maximum). This should explain how the funding would allow them to continue to make medals.
- The sum applied for and a breakdown of how it is to be spent.
Applications should be sent to Janet Larkin, BAMS secretary, at jlarkin@britishmuseum.org and should be received by 19 February 2021. No email should exceed 2MB in total size or it may be blocked.
The society may subsequently request further information.
The society will decide whether to fund each application in whole or in part or not to provide funding. The society’s decision is final.
Applicants will be informed of the society’s decision by 31 March 2021. Successful applicants will receive their funding shortly afterwards.
Successful applicants will be expected to produce a brief report on how the funds have been spent and the outcomes made possible by the funding by 30 September 2021.
BAMS reserves the right to refrain from making an award in any particular year.
January 2021
LECTURE: ‘The Accidental Medallist’ from A to B
Online lecture, via Zoom, Monday 8 March, 5.30pm GMT
‘The Accidental Medallist’ from A to B. Irene Gunston, sculptor and medal-maker
A link will be sent by email to members in advance of the lecture.
LECTURE: The Omnipresent Medal
Online lecture, via Zoom, Monday 8 February, 5.30pm GMT
The omnipresent medal. Philip Attwood, Honorary Research Fellow, British Museum.
A link will be sent by email to members in advance of the lecture.
LECTURE: The ironies of moderate successes …
Zoom lecture, 11 January 2021, 5.30pm GMT
The ironies of moderate successes and how plaster relief has played a part. Julian Cross, artist, sculptor, goldsmith
A link will be sent to members by email ahead of time.
BAMS Struck Medal Award
BAMS and medal manufacturer Thomas Fattorini came together in early 2015 to create an international award for struck medals. The BAMS Struck Medal Award takes the form of a medal struck in sterling silver bearing a posthumous portrait of Thomas Peter Fattorini by Ian Rank-Broadley. It is intended to encourage artists and designers around the world to engage with struck medals and to encourage mints, both private and public, to produce struck medals of high artistic quality.
Initially the award was made annually. In years in which a FIDEM exhibition was held, the award was made for the struck medal that was considered to be the most successful in that exhibition; in other years it was awarded for the work judged to be the most successful recently produced struck medal. In 2020 it was decided that the award should be made solely in those years in which there is a FIDEM exhibition. All the struck medals shown at each FIDEM exhibition are considered for the award.
The Award
- The BAMS Struck Medal Award is presented by the British Art Medal Society and Thomas Fattorini Ltd (“the organisers”). The award was initiated in 2015 in honour of Thomas Peter Fattorini (1932-2010).
- The award is intended to encourage artists and designers to engage with struck medals and to encourage mints, both private and public, to produce struck medals of high artistic quality and to celebrate the artists and designers who provide the models and designs.
- The award takes the form of a sterling silver medal 75 millimetres in diameter bearing, on one side, a portrait of Thomas P. Fattorini by Ian Rank-Broadley and, on the other, the British Art Medal Society logo.
- Production of the award medal and its case is undertaken by Thomas Fattorini Ltd.
- The award is made to the individual artist or designer of a struck medal judged to be the most successful in each FIDEM exhibition.
- The award is international in scope and is open to artists from all countries. The winning medal may have been struck by a mint in any country.
- The winning medal may either have resulted from a commission or have been produced on the initiative of the artist or the mint concerned. The winning artist is responsible for informing the commissioner or mint about the award.
- The winner may be an independent artist/designer or an employee of the mint striking the medal or of any other body.
- Each award medal is engraved with the words THE STRUCK MEDAL AWARD, the name of the winning artist, and the year. The mint striking the winning medal is acknowledged in all publicity.
- The winning artist and the mint striking the medal are permitted to use images of the award medal for publicity purposes.
- An award may not be presented if a suitable winner cannot be identified in any exhibition.
The process
- The judges are appointed before each exhibition by agreement between Thomas Fattorini Ltd and BAMS Council.
- The judging takes place at or immediately after each FIDEM exhibition and is confirmed by BAMS Council. The decision is final.
- BAMS informs the winning artist/designer.
- Fattorini liaises with the artist/designer concerning the wording of the engraved subscription and presentation of the medal.
- The award is advertised through BAMS and FIDEM, using those organisations’ websites and networks and The Medal journal.
© Copyright - British Art Medal Society