Intuitive Botany - by Paulette Werger

May 2010

Reception: May 29. 2:00-4:00pm

The managers of the League of NH Craftsmen Retail Galleries have selected juried member Paulette Werger (Lebanon, NH) as the featured craftsperson for the 2010 Traveling Exhibition. Paulette, who is juried in metal, creates one-of-a-kind jewelry, vessels, and flatware. Her exhibition, entitled Intuitive Botany, will be on display at the League of NH Craftsmen Hanover Retail Gallery on 13 Lebanon Street during the month of May. Exhibition hours are Monday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Paulette will be at Hanover League on Saturday, May 29 from 2:00-4:00pm. You are welcome to come and meet Paulette and ask questions about her work.

Her exhibition of jewelry, vessels, and tableware merges botanical drawings with sculptural interpretations. “I captured the tenuous bits and pieces of the garden and translated them into objects for the table and the body,” said Paulette. She plans to change the collection during the year to reflect each season’s color palette and imagery. On display will be Paulette’s Gifts of Spring collection, which features budding plant imagery and use pale green colors.

 “My neckpieces, rings, earrings and beads combine a variety of materials including, fresh water pearls, precious and semi precious stones, high karat gold, and pewter. Vessels and spoons allow me to explore both the scale and function of table service,” said Paulette. She also combines Keum-Boo, the traditional

Korean technique of fusing 24KT gold and silver with roller embossing, stamping, etching, solder inlay, and stone setting to produce intentionally subtle and elegant pieces of jewelry and table wear.

Paulette exhibits and sells her work both nationally and internationally, and teaches workshops in jewelry making and metalsmithing techniques. She runs a custom design jewelry studio, Metalpeople East, in Lebanon, NH. She serves on the Boards of Trustees for the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, MA and the Alliance for the Visual Arts in Lebanon, NH. Paulette holds a bachelor’s degree in painting and sculpture from the College of Saint Rose and Skidmore College in NY, and a MFA degree in art metal from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Growing up in rural upstate New York, Paulette spent many hours rambling through fields and woods, building tree forts, and drawing pictures. Her family inspired and nurtured her interest in the natural world and art. “My great grandfather was a painter trained in the Hudson River School who supported a family of ten from his artwork. My love of working with tools was influenced by my Dad, who was mechanic. The childhood activities of drawing and fixing things in the garage formed my interest and passion for metalsmithing.”

About the League of NH Craftsmen

The League of NH Craftsmen is a non-profit, craft education organization. Its mission is to encourage, nurture and promote the creation, use and preservation of fine contemporary and traditional craft through the inspiration and education of artists and the broader community. The League represents the signature of excellence in fine craft, through the work of its juried members, and its rigorous standards for self expression, vision, and quality craftsmanship.

The League is supported in part by grants from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information about this exhibit, call the Hanover Retail Gallery at 603-643-5050, email hanleague@valley.net, or visit www.nhcrafts.org.