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Girls are new jewels in the crown for Middlesbrough

Talented jewellers Gemma Draper and Janet Hinchliffe McCutcheon have beaten worldwide competition to become Middlesbrough’s first jewellers in residence.

Janet from Middlesbrough and Gemma from Barcelona won the coveted roles after a rigorous selection process against candidates from all over the world, thanks to a special collaboration between Teesside University and mima.

The two jewellers begin their residency in October 2013, based both at mima and on Teesside University’s campus.

Working alongside students and mima visitors, Janet and Gemma will help develop a new display of jewellery from mima’s world renowned collection.

Together they will create unique opportunities for people to get involved in jewellery events, sharing their expertise, skills and passion for decorative adornment.

The project has been realised with a grant of almost £300,000 from the Arts Council and support from Teesside University and it will create a new permanent exhibition which will open to the public in 2014.

The collection, which consists of more than 200 objects, represents artist-made jewellery from the 1970s onwards and is both one of the most comprehensive in this country – comparable to those held by the Crafts Council, the V&A Museum and the National Museums of Scotland.

The new display will be the first time that such a comprehensive selection of this work has been seen by mima visitors.

mima senior curator James Beighton said: “I can’t wait to welcome Gemma and Janet to mima and to work with them on this project, which we hope will change the way people look at jewellery.

“When I speak to jewellery experts around the world they have all heard of Middlesbrough’s jewellery collection, but few of them have ever made the journey to visit it in person.

“This project will put that right, making Middlesbrough a prime destination for jewellery enthusiasts, whilst revealing some of the treasure in our collection to visitors on our doorstep.”

As part of the project, the jewellers will work with Teesside University designers to develop modules for design courses and develop new courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level to enhance the University’s creative arts offer.

The University is widely regarded as an innovative leader in arts and media.

Professor Gerda Roper, Dean of the School of Arts & Media, said: “Middlesbrough has a great deal to offer in the world of creative arts and this is a fantastic opportunity for the town, mima and Teesside University to reveal the hidden gems of our jewellery making history.”

Janet Hinchliffe McCutcheon lives in Middlesbrough and has a studio at Platform Arts Studios at Middlesbrough railway station.

Gemma Draper has studied in Barcelona and at the prestigious Cranbrook Academy in Detroit.

This exciting project marks the start of a closer partnership between Teesside University’s School of Arts & Media and mima to work together to engage audiences, develop joint programmes and enhance the cultural offer across the area.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .