WAM! The Wearable Art Museum is opening in NYC

WAM! – A NEW Museum dedicated to exhibiting and preserving wearable art, textiles, costumes, and studio jewelry is opening in New York.

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, May 31, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — WAM – The Wearable Art Museum is launching in New York! The new non-profit cultural center is dedicated to wearable art, textiles, costumes, and studio jewelry and serves a vital role in preserving and exhibiting the influential contributions that wearable art provides to world culture. Lisa M. Berman is honored to be the second proprietor of Sculpture To Wear Gallery since 1999, originally launched in the Plaza Hotel in New York in 1973 by Joan Sonnabend. Fine artists such as Picasso, Calder, and Louis Nevelson created one of a kind pieces of jewelry from this postage stamp sized space. Robert Lee Morris, the three time Coty Award Winning Jewelry Designer got his start at this iconic gallery.

Berman knew from 40 years in retail and with the current landscape of dwindling art galleries, the best way to preserve the work she has been dedicated to for a quarter of a century was to transition the model into a non-profit museum.

Lisa M. Berman, the owner of Sculpture To Wear / Berman Arts Agency recently moved to New York dedicated to launch the museum and will serve as WAM’s Founder and Executive Director. Ms. Berman has a 30-year successful track record as a pivotal driver of innovative arts programming nationally and internationally. Her love for the arts and infectious enthusiasm inspires connections and collaborations that get results. The Wearable Art Museum is her legacy – a project where wearable art’s past, present, and future will have a home and serve as a conduit for artists to tell their stories, an educational resource for visitors, members, artists and collectors worldwide. “It is my honor to propel my journey of Wearable Art and Sculpture To Wear to bring this genre to a larger audience. My goal has always been to educate, question, innovate and inspire”. LMB. https://artjewelryforum.org/interviews/fusing-art-and-business/. WAM! ‘s programming includes exhibitions, educational outreach, lectures, and innovative purpose-driven community events, such as interactive experiences that encourage guests to “play with art” versus simply viewing it. Plans also include a retail and on-line store providing a global marketplace for artists and collectors.

The Wearable ART Museum (WAM!) is reaching out to visionary individuals to raise $5,000,000 for Phase 1 of the initial round of capital for programming and facility development. WAM! invites you to make art history and become a founding member of this vital project by supporting in many ways: monetary and collections donations, a loan, sponsorship, property/collection, and in-kind services are just a few. This unique cultural institution is seeking a physical location and solidifying corporate sponsorship and strategic alliances. Berman states, “everyone wants to be viewed as a maverick, unique and different. However, In the few short months I have been in New York, I learned it’s more important than ever to collaborate with other like minded individuals and groups who employ a similar strategy. My preference is to integrate the exhibitions and programming of WAM into another established institution. I reside in Park Slope near Grand Army Plaza, so the Brooklyn Museum is at the top of my “wish” list. MAD (Museum of Arts and Design), Museum at FIT and even the Cooper Hewitt are also conversation possibilities. And of course if an individual wanted to donate a “starter space” to us, I would be incredibly grateful”.

“40 years ago, I experienced the work of “craft” being ousted as a step-child of the fine arts. Now almost EVERY major institution presents exhibitions featuring textiles, integrates and reveres artists working in traditional craft roles as they do traditional painters, sculptors, etc. I have placed photographs, wearable art, and studio jewelry in the collections of the Getty, LACMA, Smithsonian, V&A, etc. This long term process is one that I am proud to have help make strides in. Now everyone is interested in up-cycling, green, slow-fashion and responsibly resourced materials, which is good -these are practices the artists from my gallery and the genre of studio jewelry and wearable art have employed for half of a century. I also realize the advent of technology fast tracks new exciting concepts, as evidenced by Teri Brudnak and her AI designed and made jewelry at the 50th Anniversary of SNAG this June. How do we learn from and celebrate both? WAM’s mission is to create a bridge of the hand-crafted work, celebrate innovative forms of wearable art and studio made jewelry, while documenting the process, and hearing directly from the artists while they are still with us. Accolades from their peers and collectors are important, but this contemporary cultural history requires being documented NOW before it’s gone. The inaugural exhibition plans to feature the work of Robert Lee Morris, Marc Cohen, Donald Damask, Cara Croninger and Teri Brudnak.

WAM has created a strong foundational Board and Advisory Council thus far- consisting of a dedicated and dynamic group of professionals with deep experience in non-profit and arts organization management group focused on bringing the museum to fruition and sustaining it for generations:

• Vice-Chair: Jorden Segrave – Architect, O.C. USGBC

• Secretary: John Rose – Media Enterprises, Marketing Director Art Jewelry Forum, 2Roses Jewelry

• Legal Counsel: Marc Hankin – Hankin Patent Law, APC (from New York)

• Treasurer: Betsey Potter – two time Governor for Television Academy of Costume Designers

• Council Member: Max Alexander – Couture to the Max Fashion Designer (age 8)

• Council Member: Sherri Madison – HBO Couture Cardboard fashion designer, artist

• Council Member: Robert Lee Morris, 3-time Coty Award Winning jewelry designer, Founder ARTWEAR. (New York based)

• Council Member: Uriel Saenz – Fashion Designer, Founder of U.S. Lifestyle Group.

WAM has already accessioned the following collections of unrestricted and restricted gifts (with an estimated value of $500k) with gracious donations by: Marc Cohen, Donald & Joan Damask, Betsey Potter, Sculpture to Wear Gallery, Myra Gassman, Gabrielle, 2Roses, Swinda Reichelt, Teri Brudnak and TDM Studios

For more information about the museum or to become a WAM! Founding member, please visit the non-profit at www.wearableartmuseum.org

Lisa M. Berman
Berman Arts Agency
+1 310-403-0531
[email protected]
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