The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Oak Brook has been displaying stone and gem works of art and teaching about the intricacies of engraving, cutting and polishing rocks and minerals for 60 years. To celebrate that milestone anniversary, the museum has mounted a special exhibit, “On The Cutting Edge: Contemporary Gemstone Sculpture,” through Jan. 22, 2023.
“I wanted to bring some attention to the gemstone carvers, specifically that are working in the U.S., South America, and Mexico because I think they’re overlooked,” said Director Dorothy Asher. “A lot of these people also do jewelry but doing carving in gemstone is a big deal. It’s not easy to do.”
The exhibit features modern work done by living carvers. Asher said the sculptors were chosen for the diversity of their work and that museum staff selected the thirty pieces that are included in the exhibit.
Helen Serras-Herman of Arizona was one of the artists selected for the exhibit. She has two pieces in the show. The last time that Serras-Herman exhibited at Lizzadro was in 1997 for the first Gem Artists of America exhibit.
She began doing metal sculpture in Berlin, Germany almost 40 years ago. “Then when I went back to Greece, I studied gemology and gem carving. I’ve been back in the U.S. since 1998, focusing on gem sculpturing,” Serras-Herman said. She sells her work at several shows each year and is represented at two galleries, one in Tubac, Arizona, which is an artists’ colony, and another in California.
“All of my pieces are inspired by Greek mythology,” the artist said. “My origin is Greek. I was born in New York City from Greek parents and the Greek mythology is in my blood. I go back again and again, and take symbols of Greek mythology and fold it into common themes.”
It means a lot to Serras-Herman to have work in the Lizzadro Museum. “We don’t have a lot of exhibits nationwide of gem sculpture,” she explained. “We are only 10 people so I was really honored to be among those 10.”
The other artists are Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio of Lima, Peru; Darryl Alexander of Arizona; Julio Martinez Barnetche of Mexico; Trent Mann of Texas; Naomi Sarna of New York; Georg Schmerholz of California; Rick Stinson of Kansas; Lawrence Stoller of Oregon; and Nancy Arthur-McGehee of California.
Visitors will have a chance to see and speak with six of the 10 artists featured in the show at a drop-in open house, noon-3 p.m. on Nov. 6. There will be book signings plus demonstrations of such things as gem carving and polishing at this free event.
“People will get to see firsthand how these artists work and what their processes are,” Asher said.
Also in celebration of the museum’s 60th anniversary there will be a presentation, “Celebrating our 60th through Joyful Chinese Symbols” at 2 p.m. on Nov. 13. Educator Yvonne Wolf will lead the group on a guided walking tour through the exhibits focusing on birthday and longevity symbols in the museum’s collection. Registration is required. This event is included in the museum’s regular admission price of $10; $8 seniors; $5 students, teens, and ages 7-12.
“It’s focusing on our Chinese collection,” Asher explained.
The museum was started by the late lapidary hobbyist and collector Joseph F. Lizzadro, Sr. When he decided to share his collection, The City of Elmhurst and Elmhurst Park District allowed him to build the museum in Wilder Park. It opened on Nov. 4, 1962.
“We were in Elmhurst for 55 years,” Asher noted. “We did really well there but we got to a point where we were bringing some new large pieces. Also, that building became so antiquated.”
Leaving Elmhurst was a difficult decision but they moved to 1220 Kensington Rd. in Oak Brook, increasing their floor space from 7,000-square-feet to 15,000-square-feet. In addition, “We picked up amenities we never had before,” Asher reported. They added a lecture hall, a kitchen, a library, larger bathroom facilities, and sufficient office space.
They now have about 7,000-square-feet of exhibit space. A 2018 acquisition, which wouldn’t have fit comfortably in the Elmhurst location, is “The Altar of the Green Jade Pagoda,” which is five feet high and consists of more than 1,000 intricately carved pieces. It is considered the largest jade carving outside of China.
Asher believes that Lizzadro has grown and thrived through the years because, “We continue to have programs and exhibits that will interest people,” she said.
For more details about Lizzadro and its anniversary exhibit, visit lizzadromuseum.org.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
