LONDON, ENGLAND.- Somerset House presents “Silver Sparks: The Bishopsland Connection,” on view through Sunday 31st August 2003. Silver Sparks: The Bishopsland Connection is a provocative exhibition of contemporary silver and jewelry made by past and present students of the Bishopsland Workshops, Oxfordshire, and by makers patronized by the P & O Makower Trust. Illustrating the vitality of British silversmithing today, the exhibition comprises 47 pieces and demonstrates that this centuries-old craft is still very much alive.

Silver Sparks, which celebrates Bishopland’s tenth anniversary, includes work by current students, former students and makers who have executed commissions for the P & O Makower Trust. Many of the pieces on display have been loaned by museums and private collections and illustrate the variety and excellence of the work created by silversmiths and jewellers who have benefited from Bishopsland.

Ten years ago Penelope and Oliver Makower set up the Bishopsland Workshops, now the Bishopsland Educational Trust, to provide a one-year course with workshop space and support for talented young silversmiths and jewellers who have just graduated from art college. At a time when apprenticeships are difficult to obtain, many find starting out on their own daunting. At Bishopsland they can not only hone their metalworking skills but also learn such business essentials as marketing, presentation and bookkeeping. The Bishopsland Workshops have been described as "the Sandhurst for Silversmiths".