Myra Mimlitsch-Gray’s Copper Chiclet Tray lounges with gestural presence – hinting at handling, suggesting function, yet not instructing the user.

The object is “deliberately tentative,” says the master metalsmith, a professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Having explored traditional tableware and presentation silver throughout her career, Mimlitsch-Gray is now interested in creating “new forms without the stylistic antecedents typically associated with the table.”

Where does she begin? Mimlitsch-Gray studies the basic effects of action on material – such as stretching, pulling, or peeling – then uses those studies to inform models for new objects. “The question,” she said, speaking to Art Jewelry Forum about her show “Something for the Table” at Sienna Gallery last summer, “is whether they supplant traditional table objects.” What do you think?