Vacheron Constantin is supporting a new Artisan Residency program at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art — The Met — that is offering 18 month residencies for three creatives who will be supported and mentored to develop and maintain generations-old crafts.
The first three residences have been awarded to Aspen Golann, an American furniture maker, Ibrahim Said, a ceramicist from Egypt and Italian jeweler Joy Harvey.
During their mentoring, they will travel to New York to work with The Met collection’s staff, and will also spend time in Geneva learning from Vacheron Constantin’s master artisans.
It ends in October 2026 with a return to New York to present an original work of art that demonstrates innovation in a traditional craft technique at The Met.
During their visit to Switzerland, the trio will learn a range of Vacheron Constantin’s in-house skills ranging from watchmaking to artistic crafts such as enameling, guillochage, engraving and gem-setting.
The Met and Vacheron Constantin’s inaugural residents
Joy Harvey: Joy Harvey’s artistic path, which led her from training in pure chemistry to the craft that she practises today, has a deep influence on her jewelry work.
Born in Italy, where she lives and works, Harvey’s dedication to craftsmanship is rooted in a blend of traditional Florentine goldsmithing and Armenian techniques, merging ancient methods with modern innovations.
For Harvey, beauty is not an absolute concept but is shaped by individual experience, culture and biology.
Each piece that she creates serves as a platform for exploring deeper emotional and philosophical themes, blending her vision of imperfection and growth with reflections on the complexities of ageing.
Ibrahim Said: Recognized for his technical ability, creativity and innovation, ceramic artist Ibrahim Said comes from a family of potters in Fustat, the area of Cairo renowned for ceramics since the Islamic conquest in the 7th century AD.
His first teacher – from the age of six – was his father, and Egypt’s rich cultural heritage became his second teacher.
Said’s signature work embodies a lightness and delicacy balanced by the strong lines and bold shapes that distinguished ancient Egyptian ceramics.
He pushes the limits of clay, through both structural technique and surface adornment, to create pieces that celebrate his cultural heritage while advancing it towards new horizons.
Aspen Golann: US-born Aspen Golann blends contemporary art with classic American furniture forms to make subtle statements about power dynamics in the world of craft.
Having trained in traditional woodworking crafts of the 17th–19th century, she manipulates iconic American furniture forms to create contemporary pieces that both critique and celebrate the history of American decorative arts.
Founder of The Chairmaker’s Toolbox – a project fostering access and equity in the field of chairmaking – Golann channels her passion for sharing knowledge into teaching furniture design at The Rhode Island School of Design and leading craft workshops internationally.