Mr. Wallace CHAN believes that materials inspire creativity. In this lecture, he will share his hands-on experiences with a wide range of materials, while Dr. Emily STOEHRER will discuss materials in the museum context.

Mr. Wallace Chan is an artist and innovator. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge have led to his creation of numerous innovations, which have thus far included: The Wallace Cut (an illusionary three-dimensional carving technique invented in 1987), the mastery of titanium in jewelry making, a patented jadeite luminosity-enhancing technology, the invention of elaborate gemstone settings without metal claws, and most recently, The Wallace Chan Porcelain, a material five times stronger than steel.

Mr. Chan’s works are in the permanent collections of the British Museum (2019), the Capital Museum of China (2010), and the Ningbo Museum (2010). He has had solo exhibitions showcasing his works at Fondaco Marcello (Venice, 2021 & 2022), Canary Wharf (London, 2022), Christie’s (Shanghai, 2021), Asia House (London, 2019), Christie’s Gallery (Hong Kong, 2019), the Gemological Institute of America Museum (Carlsbad, 2011), the Capital Museum of China (Beijing, 2010), the Kaohsiung Museum of History (Taiwan, 1999), and Deutsches Edelsteinmuseum (Idar-Oberstein, 1992).

Mr. Chan has given talks and lectures at prestigious institutions, including DIVA Museum (Antwerp, 2021), Tongji University (Shanghai, 2021), Christie’s (Shanghai, 2020 & 2021), the De Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design (Maastricht, 2020), the British Museum (London, 2019), the Royal College of Art (London, 2019), the University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, 2019), Christie’s Education (Hong Kong, 2019), the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (London, 2018), the Sarabande Foundation (London, 2018), Sciences Po (Paris, 2018), Harvard University (Cambridge, 2017), Central Saint Martins (London, 2017), the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 2016), and Christie’s (Paris, 2014).

Dr. Emily STOEHRER is the Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). At the MFA she oversees a collection that spans nine curatorial departments and 6,000 years of history. She has curated exhibitions and written on various aspects of adornment. Most recently, she organized the exhibition “Boston Made: Arts and Crafts Jewelry and Metalwork” and contributed to the accompanying publication.

Since 2010, Dr. Stoehrer has taught and lectured widely on a diverse range of jewelry, fashion and design-related topics. She is the spokesperson for the jewelry vetting committee of all three of The European Fine Art Fairs and served on the Board of Directors of the Society of North American Goldsmiths from 2017 to 2020. She holds a PhD in Humanities from Salve Regina University and a Master of Arts in Fashion & Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Dr. Stoehrer recently penned an essay in Wallace Chan’s latest book, published by ACC Art Books, titled Winged Beauty: The Butterfly Jewellery Art of Wallace Chan.