Suzanne Ramljak is the curator of Protective Ornament: Contemporary Armor to Amulets, currently on view at the Metal Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Suzanne is a writer, art historian, and curator, and best known as the editor of Metalsmith magazine. Her interest in jewelry as a protective device led to her organize this exhibition, as well as the book called On Body and Soul: Contemporary Armor to Amulets, just published by Schiffer Publishing. The show will travel to the Tacoma Art Museum in October of this year. Suzanne has assembled a strong exhibition and has some fascinating thoughts about the role of protective jewelry. It’s powerful stuff.
Susan Cummins: Please tell the story of how this exhibition and the related publication, On Body and Soul: Contemporary Armor to Amulets, came into being.
Suzanne Ramljak: In studying jewelry’s functions over the years, I have come to view its protective role as perhaps its most compelling. This ancient and universal dimension of jewelry addresses our essential vulnerability and attempts to overcome fear and uncertainty through wearable ornament. The ability of adornment to empower and safeguard wearers also stands in opposition to common notions of jewelry as merely decorative; jewelry in this context becomes a necessity, not an accessory.