RACINE, WI.- Why do things that shine appeal to so many people? Scientific studies shared in early 2014 link that attraction to innate characteristics of human beings, including critical connections to sunlight and water. Open through October 2, 2016, Precious Metals: Shining Examples from RAM's Collection is an exhibition that plays with the concept of preciousness and how we assign value to objects.

Culturally and socially, a shiny surface also seems to suggest something luxurious or to be treasured. Linked to this, the so-called "precious metals"--generally, gold, silver, and varieties of platinum--are historically associated with being rare, naturally occurring, lustrous, and of high economic value.

Mainly comprised of shiny artworks made of precious metals, the exhibition also features shiny artworks of other materials and other metals--a comparison that draws attention to choices artists make about using one media over another. Whether referencing historical traditions, exploring ideas about culture and society, responding to the physical properties of metals, or experimenting with texture and color, contemporary artists consider the implications of their chosen materials in terms of what they want to convey.

Drawing directly from RAM's holdings, Precious Metals features a wide variety of work including many examples of jewelry, hollowware, and vessels either made of or adorned with something "lustrous." Artists included in the exhibition may be familiar to RAM guests--Matt Eskuche, Arline Fisch, John Garrett, Mary Giles, Tory Hughes, Myra Mimlitsch-Gray, Kevin O'Dwyer, Adrian Saxe, and Beatrice Wood. There are also new works, such as prints accented with gold leaf by Reika Iwami and hollowware and jewelry by respected UW-Milwaukee metals professor and artist Mary Tingley who passed away in 2000. Other Wisconsin-based artists featured include Donald Friedlich, Lisa Gralnick, Hai-chi Jihn, and Ken Loeber.