Impressions Gleaned from the Process of Curating the Exhibition SPOONS

During one of the meetings held while developing the SPOONS exhibition, displayed at Brooklyn Metal Works’ gallery (May-June of 2024), I shared with my collaborators and friends Brian Weissman and Erin s. Daily, that the word ‘spoon,’ in Hebrew, is polysemous, referring not only to the object itself but also to the part of the body that holds it (the palm of the hand), as well as the gesture of physically forming that shape. This creates a parallel between the tool and the hand that wields it, drawing a connection between the object and the subject.

This fascination with spoons extends beyond language, reflecting a deeper intrigue surrounding this compelling object. In fact, there exists a ‘fan club’ within the world of design, craft, and particularly jewelry, that houses creators (and collectors) of spoons. For instance, you can find jewelers who work with gemstones and gold, architects executing large-scale projects, and textile designers crafting soft garments—and in each of these categories, there are spoon makers.

What is it about spoons that sparks this continued collection, fascination, creation, and this repetitive variation? Is that the ‘why,’ or is it a symptom of the ‘why’?

Simone Ten Hompel is a silversmith and artist who has been engaged in spoon-making for years. When asked what she finds interesting about spoons and why she keeps returning to them, she replied that a spoon is the first tool we master and the last tool we use; it accompanies us from beginning to end, serving as a metaphor for the circle of life. To this, I would add that our palms contain reflections of ourselves, and the spoon, by extension, mirrors our physical bodies.

My interest in spoons is shared by my colleagues Weissman and Daily, who are also the owners and founders of Brooklyn Metal Works (NYC, USA). Their space includes an educational studio, workspaces for artists, and a gallery for exhibitions. Weissman, a silversmith; Daily, a goldsmith; and I, a jeweler and multidisciplinary artist, all share a love for spoons and the infinite possibilities they contain within their shapes.

The idea to curate an exhibit showcasing spoons arose during a casual conversation at the studio in Brooklyn. We discussed how each of us approaches our work: spoons that begin as sketches on paper, some that start as paper-cuts, and how a sheet of metal, after a few hammer blows, begins to reveal its concave form. We spoke about functional spoons and spoons that existentially express fleeting moments in time. We agreed that the creation of one spoon inevitably brings another into being. We also concluded that a minor change in form, results in a transformation of essence. We collectively imagined a gallery wall or table, covered in spoons of all varieties of dimension, material, and creative technique.

These conversations carried on from one lunch break to the next and coalesced into the decision to organize the exhibition, SPOONS, as discussed.

At that stage, we began to share between us the names of artists and makers who deal with the subject in their work, and had begun to formulate our curatorial process. We returned then to the beginnings of our conversation; the kaleidoscopic matter of multiplicity, the way in which perspectives add to the object as a whole, and a decision was reached that each participant would be asked to present a set of three (or more) spoons. 

In anticipation of setting up for the display in the gallery, we spread our selection of spoons on a large table and slowly gazed at it. I observed myself scanning each line, each curve, trying to imagine the feel, weight, texture of our components to the last detail. My hands immediately wanted to pick up and hold the fragile spoons of thin, fine silver crafted by Erin Daily-three spoons expressing the personal experience of their creator, whose hands shake due to a neurological condition, in the clasping of utensils, tremble. Daily’s spoons’ hollows are made of threaded “shells” of inter-looped metal. It is constructed in such a way that cannot maintain a stable structure; as they are held or lifted they collapse and lose their shape.  The process of taking, spaying the action from its familiar object, succeeds; it conveys to the viewer the feeling of frustration that arises from the failure of such an object.

Alongside these lightweight spoons are the spoons of Funlola Coker, a sculptor and metalsmith who creates narrative sculptures using craft-based materials and techniques. In these spoons, the feeling of weight is expressed through a soft, sculptural form that, even in stillness, conveys the movement the object is intended to perform. The material is alabaster, a stone with a low mineral hardness, making it ideal for carving and sculpting. Alabaster is reminiscent of both marble and plastic, yet remains elusive—never immediately distinguishable. It invites the viewer’s eye to linger, urging them to “palpate” the texture with their gaze to better understand the materiality and form.

Eliot Earl Keeley is a metalsmith and artist who deliberately creates challenges in his work, solving them through the creative process. His spoons exemplify this approach, blending craftsmanship with mindful material use. Keeley starts each spoon from the same silver ingot of identical weight, challenging himself to create variations within limitations. By carefully preserving the original weight while shaping each spoon differently, he ensures no material is wasted. The final result highlights the specific gravity of silver, as each spoon subtly varies in form but retains 95% of its initial mass, reflecting the maker’s respect for both craft and material.

In the end, the twenty sets of spoons in the exhibition move across and offer access to different axes, sometimes meeting and sometimes almost buzzing in their ability to seem so far away and different from each other. The exhibition reveals a wealth of variability, in material and process, inherent in the making of spoons. I was transcended by the experience of seeing the familiar piece of cutlery rise above its everyday station and become a medium, a habitation of story, expression, and connection to another world beyond time and place.

Spoons Webpage

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Naama Levit, an interdisciplinary jeweler and artist working and exhibit across a wide range of art, design, and craft. Levit holds a BFA in Jewelry and Fashion from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Jerusalem, Israel (2013), and MFA in Metalsmithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan,USA, (2020). She is currently based in Brooklyn, where she maintains a studio and teaches metalwork and design in various institutions.