The STFZ web site www.stfz.art.pl has been created and exists as result of free volunteer activity of our members. That is why we are sorry for not being able to translate to English all texts in links enclosed, publishing in English just brief information on each of described topic. But please, take a look at the pictures, we believe that with the English texts published they make sensible message on what we do in here. Let us repeat, that we look forward to hear from you on your activities, in order to publish them in our bulletin. Please, forward information on our newsletter to everybody interested in your neighborhood.

■ The beginning of each next year is the time of intensive activity for jewellery artists in Poland. Many of our works were sold during Christmas and New Year time, so we have to deliver new collections, talk to gallery owners, think over results of Christmas season.

At this time we also prepare works for annual exhibitions and competitions, like AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD in Gdansk, or next event in Legnica plus collections for designer's gallery by the occasion of jewellery fairs like AMBERIF or INHORGENTA.

■ Since January 20th until February 27th 2005 the YES Gallery in Poznan has been presenting the Birthday Party exhibition, originally opened during 25th Silver Festival in Legnica.

The first edition of the catalog has been sold out, the organizer - Legnica's Art Gallery decided to print the next edition of this catalog.

■ The XIIIth STFZ General Meeting took place in Warszawa on January 22nd 2005. According to our regulations it was the electoral meeting, so the STFZ Steering Committee, President, Representative for foreign contacts have reported on their service, and then we have elected new Steering Committee for the next two years.

By this occasion we have been also discussing current problems and plans for the future. Since May 1st 2004 Poland as a member of EU is granted with an easy access to EU markets. Unfortunately we do not know all details concerning regulations on assaying and hallmarking in EU countries. So one of guests of our General Meeting - Magdalena Ulaczyk, Director of the Assay Office in Warszawa has explained many problems and promised to answer questions on our discussion forum www.stfz.art.pl/forum (pl).

Other guests were: Michal Gradowski - the STFZ member of honor, prominent historian of art of goldsmithing, co founder and former curator of the Museum of Goldsmithing Art in Kazimierz Dolny, Aniela Ryndziewicz - present curator of said Museum, Wanda Gontarska - director of jewellery and watch fairs Zloto, Srebro, Czas, our friend and main sponsor of annual competition PREZENTACJE, Anna Sado - former editor in chief of magazine Zegarki & Bizuteria and Sztuka Zlotnicza, and Robert Pytlos - editor in chief of magazine Polski Jubiler.
More info on this meeting: http://stfz.art.pl/2005/zjazd2-a.html

■ In coming 2006 year we shall celebrate the 15th anniversary of the STFZ existence. There is developed the idea of editing the catalog, which will be informing on what we do as association and on creatitivity of each of our members. This publication will be addressed to museums, galleries, and other artistic and academic centers, to historians of art, to medias, goldsmithing magazines.

Edtion of such catalog makes great challenge for the STFZ members. We shall not make it without proper sources of financing. But we believe that we shall make it, with help of all interested parties.

The STFZ has been stressing on making and keeping international contacts from the very beginning. We have been keeping and maintaining foreign contacts at first by ordinary mail, then by fax machines. Entering the Ars Ornata Europeana net of contacts and our activity on this forum has enlarged our foreign contacts list, which serves until today to many Polish goldsmithing centers, just to mention the center in Legnica (www.galeria.legnica.pl). The internet proved to be priceless tool in maintenance our foreign contacts; due to communication via internet we have been able to participate actively in many AOE international conferences and to organize and run in the year 2000 in Krakow Ars Ornata Cracoviana symposium. Good, living foreign contacts are of special value today, after our access to the EU.

■ Since November 2004 at Polish pages of the STFZ web site there is our Discussion Forum www.stfz.art.pl/forum. Big traffic at this Forum proves how much we need such platform for exchange ideas, views, opinions, and advices, also for creating the knowledgeable database. Some of our recent ideas like the catalog of works by STFZ members, or the gallery for debuts are conceived on our Forum. The topics: "Tworca Form Zlotniczych" (goldsmith artist) and "Porady Warsztatowe" (workshop advices and hints) are of greatest use and interest to our internauts. By this forum the STFZ serves better the Polish goldsmithing circles.

Some ideas expressed at Forum are not so easy for realization. One of them is the problem caused by lack of goldsmithing manual book in Polish language. The Erhard Brepohl's "Theorie und Praxis des Goldschmieds", in English edition "The Theory and Practice of Goldsmithing" is given as example of really good manual workshop book. Readers and participants active on forum ask for Polish translation. For a time being we just envy our English speaking friends, http://www.brynmorgen.com/catalog.html

■ On February 12th 2005 the jury of the Amberif Design Award Elektronos 2005 competition have judged 123 works by 86 artists coming from 5 countries: England, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland. The jury has chosen 16 works by 15 authors, the verdict of jury is published at the STFZ pages >>>>> (pl))
and pages of the Elektronos organizers >>>>

■ During INHORHENTA fairs the STFZ has had a chance of presenting at our stand there the recent edition of the Prezentacje exhibition. We were also informing on our history and activities, we were talking with members of other goldsmithing associations and organizations, and with galleries promoting the art of goldsmithing from many European countries.

Works by Polish jewellery artists were also visible in other then the STFZ stands in the hall C2. Marcin Zaremski has been exhibiting for the sixth time, Piotr Małysz for the first time. Our works were also presented at stands of jewellery trading companies like: "Deco Echo" of Krakow, "Rzewuska" of Köln, "Aniol Silber" of Wuppertal, and others. We are happy for great interest in Polish jewellery.

By the STFZ stand there were informative stands of the Art Gallery of Legnica and the Jewellery Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz. Catalogs of Legnica's exhibitions were of a great interest to many visitors.

By this occasion let us remind here, that the Legnica's event - annual artistic jewellery exhibitions and competitions are the longest time event of this kind in Europe, what was already mentioned in our Bulletin.

■ The Prezentacje 2004 exhibition already described in our bulletin will be presented again in Krakow, at the Bielak Gallery www.galeriabielak.pl from April 4th 2005 until the end of this month.

■ From 26.5. - 18.6.2005 Bettina Meyer, German artist goldsmith will organize an exhibition of jewellery by a chosen group of polish artists in her gallery in Berlin. Participants will be: Bogumil Bytomski, Maryla Dubiel, Pawel Kaczynski, Zofia and Witold Kozubscy, Krzystof Piotrowski, Jacek A. Rochacki, Jan Suchodolski, Radoslaw Szwed, Antek Zaremski, Marcin Zaremski and Jakub Zeligowski.

More info on the artist and her gallery at www.bettinameyer.de

From the past

■ Our association STFZ - Polish Goldsmithing Artists' Association, regardless very different personal and artistic approaches to the matters of goldsmithing and art of our members, has became - nolens volens - the rightful successor of the former Polish organizational forms of our artistic goldsmithing. This has prompted us to begin publication of notes from the past, older then the existence of the STFZ. This way we shall be reminding the creativity of Polish jewellery artists who passed away, or who retired long time ago. To begin with - let us take a look at the short info on the first Legnica exhibition, the event that with years became significant center of international presentation of artistic goldsmithing.

The First Polish National Review of Goldsmithing Forms "Srebro '79" ("Silver '79") in Legnica is documented by catalog edited on the printing level characteristic to what we call in Polish "former reality" (before 1989). The pages printed in blue tell us, that the event was organized by the DESA gallery, the "Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych" (Office for Artistic Exhibitions company) and Museum of Copper of Legnica. It took place since July 19th 1979 until August 7th 1979, and has been consisting of two exhibitions.

The main exhibition presenting works by 22 authors or pairs of authors was shown in the Museum of Copper. At the Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych gallery there was an exhibition of two prominent Polish authors of older generation: the artistic couple of Jadwiga and Jerzy Zaremski, and other artist - Jozef Fajngold.

The introduction word in the catalog by prof. Irena Huml has been also announcing the plans for the future. It became a right prophecy, foreseeing the later development of the Legnica event into the international revue of artistic goldsmithing.
catalogue >>>>

■ In May 1995 the third exhibition of the Camelot cycle - the CAMELOT 1113 has opened in Krakow. Members of jury: Andrzej Bielak (STFZ president), Ewa Chycinska - Ogrodowska (jewellery artist, prize winner at CAMELOT 1112), Michal Gradowski (historian of goldsmithing art), Marek Nieniewski (jewellery artist), prof. dr. Wladysław Pluta (Deputy Rector, Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow), Grazyna Starzecka (the Ofir gallery owner), prof. Stanislaw Trzeszczkowski (Institute of Industrial Design, Warszawa), Marcin Zaremski (artist goldsmith, founder and owner of the METAL gallery, Warszawa), have chosen works by 27 artists, working alone or in teams.

The first prize winner was Jaroslaw Westermark (also awarded with the first prize at the CAMELOT 1111), Bohdan Jan Suchodolski, Jacek, Byczewski, Slawomir Fijalkowski. Special prizes went to: Tomasz Ogrodowski (this time holder of three special prizes), Jaroslaw Westermark, Joanna and Tadeusz Jaworscy and Tomasz Zaremski.
catalogue >>>>