Alan Chris Preston (born 1941) is a New Zealand jeweller. His work has been exhibited widely in New Zealand and internationally, and is held in major public collections in New Zealand.

Early life

Born in

Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilto ...

in 1941, Preston completed a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree in psychology at the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

in 1967, and took jewellery classes at the Camden Institute, London, in 1973.

Fingers gallery

In 1974, after a stint as a guest artist at Brown's Mill Market, New Zealand's first craft co-operative, in Auckland, Preston approached jewellers Ruth Baird, Roy Mason, Margaret Philips and Michael Ayling to open a jewellery shop called

Fingers A finger is a limb of the body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of most of the Tetrapods, so also with humans and other primates. Most land vertebrates have five fingers ( Pentadactyly). Chambers ...

on Auckland's Lorne Street. Fingers, which moved to Kitchener Street, its current location, in 1987, is now New Zealand's longest-running contemporary jewellery gallery.

Career and style

After a 1979 trip to

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

, Preston began to incorporate forms and materials from Pacific adornment, including the use of shell, coconut shell and fibre, into his work. In 1983, Preston and fellow jeweller

Warwick Freeman Warwick Stephen Freeman (born 5 January 1953) is a New Zealand jeweller. Biography Freeman was born in Nelson in 1953, and was educated at Nelson College from 1966 to 1970. He began making jewellery with Peter Woods in Perth in 1972. He return ...

were asked by James Mack, then director of

The Dowse Art Museum The Dowse Art Museum is a municipal art gallery in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Opening in 1971 in the Lower Hutt CBD, The Dowse occupies a stand-alone building adjacent to other municipal facilities. The building was completely remodelled in 2 ...

, to select items from Auckland Museum's collection for a 1984 exhibition at The Dowse titled ''Pacific Adornment''. Preston was one of twelve jewellers selected for the landmark 1988 Bone Stone Shell exhibition, developed by the Craft Council of New Zealand for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

, that was shown in Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The exhibition was restaged at the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

in 2013. Preston's work has been shown widely in New Zealand and internationally, including solo exhibitions at the

Dowse Art Museum The Dowse Art Museum is a municipal art gallery in Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Opening in 1971 in the Lower Hutt CBD, The Dowse occupies a stand-alone building adjacent to other municipal facilities. The building was completely remodelled in 20 ...

in 2007, the

Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira (or simply the Auckland Museum) is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history (and especially the history of the Aucklan ...

in 2009, and inclusion in the touring exhibition ''Wunderrūma: New Zealand Jewellery'' in 2014.

Recognition

Preston's work is held in many public collections including

, the

and

References

External links

Interview with Jeweller Alan Preston
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa * Damian Skinner,
Between Tides: jewellery by Alan Preston
'' Auckland: Godwit, 2008. . * Damian Skinner ''Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry'', San Francisco: Velvet Da Vinci Gallery, and The Society of Arts and Craft, Boston, MA, 2010. * The Dowse Art Museum; Eléna Gee
'Open Heart: Contemporary New Zealand Jewellery'
November 1993. * The Dowse Art Museum; Kobi Bosshard
The Second New Zealand Jewellery Biennial: Same But Different
1996. * The Dowse Art Museum
Richard Bell, The Third New Zealand Jewellery Biennial: Turangawaewae: A Public Outing
1998. * New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Bone Stone Shell: New Jewellery New Zealand
Wellington, 1988. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Alan 1941 births New Zealand jewellers Living people People from Te Awamutu University of Canterbury alumni