Events & Awards

Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons to Host Jewelry Exhibition

Events & AwardsJul 10, 2024

Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons to Host Jewelry Exhibition

“Immediate Connections” will be on view from July 18-21.

Immediate Connections
The Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons and NYC Jewelry Week Co-Founder Bella Neyman will host “Immediate Connections,” which features the work of Birabiro, Oblik Atelier, and MPR Jewelry.
Bridgehampton, N.Y.—The Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons and Bella Neyman, jewelry curator and co-founder of NYC Jewelry Week, are bringing a jewelry exhibition to the summer hotspot.

The center will host “Immediate Connections,” which features the work of brands Birabiro, Oblik Atelier, and MPR Jewelry.

The selling exhibition will be on view from July 18-21.

“Using the drawn line as the foundation for their creations, these three jewelers handcraft their pieces with meticulous care,” said the organizers.

The jewelers created unique and limited-edition wearable, sculptural jewels, apt for everyday wear or special occasions.

Each of the designers use wire, transforming hard materials into soft, organic shapes, organizers said.

Oblik Atelier founder Mia Hebib’s life and work center around transitions, said organizers, as she was born in Bosnia, grew up in Croatia, and now lives in the U.S.

Oblik Atelier necklace
Oblik Atelier founder Mia Hebib values both function and personal connection when creating her jewelry.


Her jewelry, though abstract, takes inspiration from shapes in architecture, human interactions, and debris in urban and natural settings, working with brass and sterling silver wire.

“Oblik” means “form” in Croatian, and Hebib’s jewels “reflect the conversation around sinuous shapes that conform and compliment the human body,” said organizers.

“She is curious about the relationship of what her mind perceives and what her hands can produce,” they said, noting that her work is about both function and personal connection in equal parts.

Birabiro founder Lydia Gobena aims to create jewelry that celebrates the personality of the wearer, crafting unique and “perfectly imperfect” designs.

Birabiro necklace
Jewelry designer Lydia Gobena of Birabiro is inspired by her birthplace, Ethiopia, as well as nature and her travels.


Goben works with traditional and nontraditional materials, including sterling silver and brass wire and colored gemstones, to make structural, bold jewels.

Her studio is based nearby in East Quogue, a hamlet in the town of Southampton, but she takes inspiration from her birthplace, Ethiopia, as well as nature and her travels.

The names of several of her jewels are based on Ethiopian names and places.

Gobena’s work has been exhibited at Milan Jewelry Week and several galleries.

 Related stories will be right here … 

MPR Jewelry founder Meghan Patrice Riley crafts her jewelry in Brooklyn, New York.

MPR Jewelry necklace
Meghan Patrice Riley of MPR Jewelry crafts her jewelry using industrial, nylon-coated stainless steel cable wire, as well as fine metals, and other materials.


Riley works with industrial, nylon-coated stainless steel cable wire mixed with sterling silver and 14-karat gold fill, along with pearls and other colored gemstones. 

Riley has held solo art gallery shows worldwide and has won the Raphael Founder Prize for innovation in small metals from the Society for Contemporary Craft. 

Her fashion collections have been shown at New York Fashion Week and China Chengdu Fashion Week. She was a semifinalist for the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund and a finalist in the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Design Entrepreneur Program.

In addition to the exhibition, the space will host a series of talks and events. 

An opening reception will be held July 18 at 5 p.m. alongside the one-year anniversary of the nearby Stella Flame Gallery.

Neyman will host a conversation on July 19, and other artists' talks will be held July 19-21.

There will be a happy hour on July 20 and a “Brunch and Learn” on July 21.

The Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons supports women through educational initiatives, community programs, exhibitions, and events.

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