Families on the front lines of mining, drilling, and fracking need your help. Support them now!

New York A conference on gold that will examine all aspects of the metal from jewelry design to mining is scheduled to take place at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York on April 8 and 9.

Organized by Initiatives in Art and Culture, a New York-based organization dedicated to educating diverse audiences about fine, decorative and visual arts, the Friday-Saturday conference, called Gold: Substance, Symbol and Significance, will feature a number of key jewelry industry players and executives.

Those scheduled to speak include Victor van der Kwast , head of jewelry for ABN AMRO bank, Bonnie Gestring from Earthworks, Bill Williams of Barrick Gold Corporation, Jewelers of America’s Robert Headley, David Lamb, managing director of jewelry for the World Gold Council, and jewelry designers such as Temple St. Clair and Marilyn Cooperman.

During the two-day event, the panelists will address topics including fluctuating gold prices and investment, modern mining and sustainable mining, the impact of the recent conflict minerals legislation and the history and development of gold coins and gold jewelry.

In addition to the speakers, the two-day event will include an evening reception at the Aaron Faber Gallery and a screening of the documentary Red Gold, which details the fight over construction of the proposed Pebble mine along Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed.

The cost of the conference is $350 but a reduced early registration rate of $275 is available through March 15. The rate of $150 is available for full-time students.

To register, visit Acteva.com/go/gold. More information is available at ArtInitiatives.com/public.