O SIN Fine Arts Metal Triad Metal sculpture by Boris Bally, Tom Joyce and David Secrest will be at the Wetsman Collection, 132 N. Wood- ward, Birmingham, through Jan. 4. Bally uses recycled environmental ma- terials to create both functional and nonfunctional vessels and objects. Joyce creates architectural ironwork using a hot-forged process to produce details for gates and railings, hinges and grills, furniture and door handles, objects and vessels. Secrest employs blacksmithing techniques to form fur- niture and sculptural objects. (810) 645- 6212. Boris Bally: Under Construction 9, nine bowls from reused orange work/traffic signs, copper rivets. Another Opening ... Another Show Baubles, Bangles and Beads T he development of the most personal form of art —jewelry — takes a pub- lic shape through a series of exhibitions, some continuing into January. Cranbrook Art Museum fea- tures "Messengers of Modernism: American Studio Jewelry, 1940- 1960" and "Signals: Late Twenti- eth-Century American Jewelry." Both shows, which explore the stu- dio jewelry movement, will be open through Jan. 5. Area galleries will display jew- elry as well: ShawGuido in Ponti- ac ("Contemporary American and British Jewelers" through Dec. 7), Sybaris in Royal Oak ("Contem- Carol Wineman: Cries and Whispers, quilt. Keith A. Lewis: Our Dear Bob, pin, 1994, from "Signals." Quilted Canvases Jewish artists and Jewish themes thread together Quintessential Quilts, the exhibit run- ning through Jan. 2 at the'Janice-Charach Epstein Museum Gallery at the Maple-Drake Jewish Commu.nity Center. _ -The quilters have patched together very different forms of expression including nar- rative works that tell a story, a memento of travel captured with stamps and a seven- page book that conveys the days of creation. Fifteen artists display their works. (810) 66177641,- Midwest Scenery American scene painter John Steuart Curry (1897-1946) taught master classes in Madison, Wis., where the sur- rounding rural life became his subject matter. That group of paintings will be shown through Dec. 14 at the David Klein Gallery, 163 Townsend, Birmingham. Curry, known for his out- door panoramas that capture the forces of nature, brought rich colors to his canvases, ul- timately conveying a bright outlook. (810) 433-3700. John Steuart Curry: Rainbow and View of Madison, Wisconsin, 1937, oil on canvas. information, including photos or slides, three weeks prior to publication date, to Gail Zimmerman, Fine Arts Editor, c Jo The Jewish News, 27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034; information may be faxed to (810) 354-6069. Harry Bertoia: Brooch, brass, 1942, from "Messengers." porary Thought in Jewelry" through Jan. 11), Wearley Studio in Royal Oak ("Moving Bound- aries: Jewelry by Nicole R. Lan- daw" through Dec. 20) and Yaw in Birmingham "(New Works by Cor- nelia Roethel" through Dec. 31). "The exhibit I curated, I think, is seminal to jewelry as an art form," said jewelry historian Toni Greenbaum, who put together "Messengers of Modernism." "It shows a real desire among women to wear something ex- pressive and presents the in- fluences of the modern art movement, including surrealism, cubism and abstract expression- ism. Jewelry influenced by mod- em art forms didn't express wealth. Instead, it focused on artis- tic bent." "Messengers of Modernism," or- ganized by the Montreal Museum of Decorative Arts, showcases the work of 25 artists including Alexander Calder and Harry Bertoia. It premieres at Cranbrook before traveling to more than 10 institutions around the world, in- cluding The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. "Signals," curated by Gary Grif- fin, head of the Cranbrook depart- ment of metalsmithing, focuses on the work of 15 contemporary jew- elry makers whose designs reflect their belief that jewelry serves as signals of late-20th-century life. "As wearers and observers of jewelry, human beings intuitively understand that jewelry is inher- ently meaningful,". Griffin said. "But what those same human beings may not have considered is that there exists within our soci- ety a group of people that not only believe that they can make mean- ing but also that they can project meaning into the world through jewelry." The exhibition includes works completed in the past two years by artists from all over the country, including Erika Ayala Stefanutti and Jill Slosburg-Akerman. They encode messages into their de- signs, exploring issues such as sex- uality, drugs, persona, the body, materiality, economics, nature, feminism and AIDS. "The jewelry on display reflects the times and places experienced by the artists," Greenbaum said. 'When a person puts on jewelry, it expresses an aesthetic attitude and tells who that person is." ❑ "Messengers of Modernism" and "Signal" will be at the Cran- brook. Art Museum through Jan. 5. Hours are: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Satur- days; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays; and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. For in- formation, call (810)645-3323.