METALWERX - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Designer With Flying Marquis Studio
Ann Cahoon became a principal goldsmith and designer with Flying Marquis Studio in Leominster, Massachusetts working on one-of-a-kind and limited production jewelry. She graduated from the NBSS program in 2002 and was a finalist in the gold and platinum category of the 2010 Saul Bell Awards. In addition to design and fabrication, Ann writes and lectures for the Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MJSA). She is the technical co-editor of the MJSA book "Secret Shop Weapons"and is featured in a forthcoming instructional DVD produced by Lapidary Journal.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Bette Barnett has devoted her work since 2013 to exploring and experimenting with steel and gold. Bette began her jewelry career in 2010 and subsequently studied with the late Chris Nelson through his advanced workshops in fusing gold to steel. Since then Bette has perfected additional techniques and processes for steel, including Keum Boo on steel, fusing gold to iron wire, creating a variety of alloys for fusing to steel such as shibuichi and shakudo, etching steel and fusing gold to non-traditional steel forms, such as screens and wires. In recognition of her work to further steel and fused gold, the Santa Fe Symposium has selected Bette to create a research paper on steel jewelry and present it during the 2022 Symposium Conference. She has also published articles on steel and gold jewelry in Lapidary Journal: Jewelry Artist.
Bonnie Bishoff has worked collaboratively with her artistic partner and husband J. M. Syron since 1987. Starting as furniture makers, they made work that incorporated large panels of polymer veneers for 28 years. Gradually they shifted their focus to explore jewelry and mixed media pieces.They tend to work in series and on several fronts at once. The focus of their jewelry has been creating metal armatures, textured and oxidized metal surfaces, and polymer marquetry surface designs. In addition they have been exploring a series of wall panels or "paintings" in polymer veneers and wire armatured sculptures.
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the American Craft Council
Bruce Baker graduated from Bowling Green State University, Ohio in 1975 where he received a Master of Arts degree in jewelry design and enameling. He and his former business partner Tom Baker were the creativity behind the jewelry design and production firm of Baker and Baker Inc. They collaborated throughout the decade of the 80's supplying many galleries, department stores and catalogs with gold and silver jewelry. He currently lives in Middlebury Vt. with his wife Nancie. Bruce owned and operated Middlebury Jewelry and Design for the past 17 years; in 2005 he sold his gallery so he could concentrate on his consulting business.
Bruce has lead over 500 workshops throughout the United States and Canada over the last 25 years on a variety of direct marketing related topics such as display, sales, and customer service. Bruce has a special talent for making his workshops relevant to the audience's needs. Those who have taken his workshops report phenomenal increases in sales as much as 20 to 30 percent (if they are willing to take an active role in the sales process). When Bruce is not on the road consulting he works as a jeweler.
Bruce has served as the secretary of the American Craft Council; he is currently serving on the board of directors for the Arts Business Institute. He is a contributing editor to "The Crafts Report" and writes a regular column on the subjects of booth design, craft merchandising and sales. He has conducted workshops for the Society of North American Goldsmiths and The Precious Metal Clay Guild, The Connecticut Farm Bureau, and the NE Direct Marketing Conference. He has been a speaker at the National Conference of the Association of Small Business Development Centers for 2002 (Nashville) 2003 (San Diego.) 2007 (Denver) and 2009 Orlando.
Christine Clark is an artist living and working in Portland OR. Her work focuses on public art, installation art and abstract sculpture in steel, steel wire and mixed materials. She has had numerous solo and group exhibitions locally and nationally. She is a two-time recipient of the Oregon Arts Commission Fellowship Grant as well as a Professional Development Grant. She has been awarded residencies such as the John Michael Kohler Arts and Industry residency and the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. She is a former Professor and Head of the Metals department at Oregon College of Art and Craft. Clark is a member of the Nine Gallery, an alternative art gallery that exhibits experimental and installation-based work and is co-owner of Ninety Twenty Studios, a maker/education space in Portland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
David was born in El Paso, Texas and spent much of his life in Austin, Texas. Initially he began his undergraduate career attending Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, pursuing a combined degree program for Biology and Art. He attended the program for two years before returning to Austin to complete his BFA at the University of Texas in Austin, with a primary emphasis in painting. He earned his MFA in Metalsmithing in 2007 from San Diego State University. David taught in the art department at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, Arkansas for 10 years. During 8 of those years, he developed and headed the metalsmithing and Jewelry Department. He presently lives and creates work in Penland, North Carolina. His work embraces the craft of Metalsmithing and it's collected history of techniques and objects. The resulting works rendered in metal, mixed media, and hand made artist books are vehicles to communicate ideas surrounding identity and forays into material and process-based work. He has work included in the collections of the Arkansas Art Center, National Ornamental Metal Museum, Yale Contemporary Craft Collection, and the Ollie Trout Collection at the University of Texas in Austin.
Job Titles:
- Virtual Teaching Assistant
Eric Burris is a metalsmith and jeweler who constructs sculptural jewelry, influenced by nature, architecture, travel, and the materials themselves. He combines wood with Mokume Gane; they complement each other visually, but contrast in terms of natural vs. man-made. Maps are incorporated to offer visual clues and add color.
Eric has been making things out of metal and teaching others how to do the same for over twenty years. He has a BFA from Kansas State University and an MFA from Arizona State University. He's also been employed as a bench jeweler, an adjunct instructor at multiple colleges, and sold his jewelry nationally at fine craft shows. During graduate school he was hooked on the Japanese technique, Mokume Gane. By combining traditional and western methods he's developed a low tech and efficient method of making diffusion bonded Mokume Gane. Eric thrives on sharing his metal working experiences and travels around the country teaching workshops. He has also made a living working with dogs as an amateur dog trainer and operating a dog walking business. He lives in Maryland with his printmaker partner, Gretchen and their dog Javier."
Erica Bello studied metals/jewelry design at the School for American Crafts where she received her BFA. In 2014 she received the Halstead Grant for emerging artists, and began exhibiting her work nationally. In 2017 she was one of four Early Career Artists invited to speak in regards to jewelry design practices at the 46th annual Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in New Orleans, LA. From 2017 - 2019 Erica held the position of Studio Manager and instructor at the Baltimore Jewelry Center. Additionally, she has taught classes on metalsmithing and jewelry design at Penland School of Crafts, the Center for Metal Arts, and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Bello's work can be found nationally in several contemporary jewelry
galleries and has been published in the book New Brooches by Nicholas Estrada. Erica currently resides in Columbus, OH and works out of her studio located in the revitalized area of Franklinton.
Job Titles:
- Regents Professor of Art at the University of North Texas
Harlan W. Butt is a Regents Professor of Art at the University of North Texas where he has taught since 1976. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally for over thirty years and spent a year studying enameling and metalsmithing in Kyoto, Japan. Harlan is past President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG), is past president of the Enamelist Society, a Fellow of the American Crafts Council and has served as Artist-in-Residenc at both the Grand Canyon and Denali National Parks. Harlan has his work in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London; the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, the Shippo Art Museum in Ama-City, Japan; the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC; the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; the Mint Museum of Art & Craft in Charlotte, NC; the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis, TN and the Wichita Art Center, KS among others. Harlan lives with his wife Robin in Denton, Texas. He also maintains a studio in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, where he spends the summer months.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Jesse is a studio artist creating primarily sculptural jewelry which crosses the boundary of mediums by incorporating many different dynamic materials and techniques. In addition he has a strong interest and appreciation for fine hand made tools, spending a good portion of his time creating unique tools and equipment that help give the works distinction with delicate texture and design.
Over the past 14 years Jesse has taught metalsmithing and jewelry techniques on a regular basis, to students of all skill levels in his private studio in San Miguel, as well as annual workshops in Mexico and other countries around the world.
Jessica Calderwood is sculptor and jewelry artist working primarily with the mediums of metal, enamel, and marginalized crafts. She received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and her MFA from Arizona State University, with an emphasis Metalworking. Her work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and internationally in curated and juried exhibitions. She has participated in artist residencies with the John Michael Kohler Arts/Industry Program, Mesa Arts Center, and several self-designed residencies with local industry. Her work has also been published in Metalsmith Magazine, American Craft, NICHE, Ornament, the Lark 500 series, and the Art of Enameling. She is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Ball State University in Indiana.
John Cogswell is a jeweler, silversmith, educator and author/illustrator. Recently retired from SUNY New Paltz, NY, he previously taught at Parsons School of Design, NYC, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY and Hofstra University, LI. He was also formerly Director of the Jewelry and Metalsmithing Department at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. In addition, he has conducted numerous workshops at such locations as Arrowmont; Brookfield; Haystack; Penland; Appalachian Center; Peters Valley; Touchstone; FSG/WildAcres; FSG/Atlantic Center for the Arts and many others.
He was the 2006 inductee into the National Metalsmiths' Hall of Fame and was selected as Touchstone Center for Crafts' 2007 Artist of the Year. He is author and illustrator of Creative Stonesetting, and has served as a technical consultant and contributing author for several contemporary jewelry texts including Metals Technic, Contemporary Silver and The Penland Book of Jewelry.
His work has appeared in numerous exhibitions and publications, and is included in many public and private collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, the Jewish Museum, NYC and the Ackland Museum of Art, Chapel Hill, NC.
Kat Cole received her MFA at East Carolina University and BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and was a Visiting Professor in Metals/Jewelry at Western Michigan University. Cole is currently a full-time studio artist in Dallas, TX and is the co-founder of Jewelry Edition. She has been a presenter at Yuma Symposium and Craft Boston, teaches workshops nationally and has exhibited internationally. Cole's work is in private and public collections including The Museum of Arts and Design in New York City and Houston Museum of Fine Art.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Interim Co - Executive Director
Job Titles:
- Virtual Program Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Virtual Teaching Assistant
Lauren Anabela Beaudoin is a Salvadoran born metalsmith, craft educator and sole proprietor of Creative Dexterity. After taking her first metalsmithing class as a teen, Lauren knew this was a passion she wanted to pursue. This led her to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she earned her BFA in metals. Working primarily in sterling silver and other copper alloyed metals, her designs investigate shape, depth and kinetic movement. Her latest series explores color and texture through the patination process. Lauren has been featured in Macworld Magazine, Bella Armoire Jewelry and in the book Retrash. She currently resides in Western Massachusetts where she is an active studio artist. For more information about her work, visit her website at creativedexterity.com and follow her on Instagram (@creativedexterity).
Liz Clark received her BFA in Crafts/Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. She lives in Providence, RI and maintains a metal studio where she creates art and jewelry part time. Liz exhibits her work through various galleries across the country. She also works as a photo jewelry stylist.
Job Titles:
- Professional Jewelry Designer
Louise Briggs has been a professional jewelry designer ever since she received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Boston Museum School in 1977. She has worked for some of the largest firms in the jewelry and giftware industry including Swank, Swarovski Jewelry, Reed & Barton Silversmiths, and the Franklin Mint, and her designs have appeared under the Givenchy, Nina Ricci, Hanae Mori, and Kia-Yin Lo labels. Yet her foremost interest has remained creating her own unique and limited edition designs.
Over the years, Louise has taught jewelry design at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, the Boston Museum School and the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts. She has been a Visiting Artist at the University of Delaware and the Philadelphia College of Art and has spoken to student and industry groups around the country on topics ranging from titanium and tantalum to women in the arts.
Louise's jewelry was featured in the DeCordova Style show at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, "Crafts Forms 2002" at the Wayne Art Center in Pennsylvania, Greene & Greene Gallery's "Discoveries 2003," and the annual benefit for the Smithsonian's James Renwick Alliance in 2005. In the past, Mrs. Briggs has been included in numerous prestigious events including a Three-person Invitational Show at the Delaware Art Museum, in Wilmington. She was also the recipient of the Juror's Choice cash award in that museum's 23rd Annual Crafts Exhibit and, for several years, served on the Board of Directors of the Bristol Art Museum in Rhode Island.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Michael Boyd is is an internationally known artist. His unique creations in stone and metal are found in numerous private collections and have been widely exhibited at important juried shows, as well as prestigious galleries and museums including Ladyfingers Gallery in Carmel, CA, Patina Gallery in Santa FE, NM, the Aaron Faber Gallery and the Museum of Art and Design in New York.
Formally trained in painting and ceramics, for the past thirty years Michael has focused his creative work in jewelry making, a medium in which he is primarily self-taught. Michael is a generous and inspiring teacher who shares his skills in private workshops and at universities around the country, including Colorado State University, Bowling Green State University and the University of Alaska.
Michael has presented at the prestigious Society of North American Goldsmiths Conference in Denver. Active in the local arts community, Michael has served as a trustee/board member of the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center in Pueblo, the Colorado Metalsmithing Association and the Pueblo Arts Alliance.
Michael's newest endeavor, the creation of the Colorado Center for Metal Arts, a teaching and community art center, has helped revitalize the Historic Arts District in Pueblo, Colorado.
Michael Dale Bernard is a metals artist and educator currently living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received his MFA in metalsmithing in 2007 from California State University, Long Beach. The 13 years that Michael spent in the Los Angeles art scene have clearly influenced his highly stylized artwork. The dynamic forms of urban architecture and the vibrant colors used by street artists are both visible in his jewelry. Salvaged materials, welded trellis forms, and colorful powder coated elements combine to create his lively pieces. He currently teaches Jewelry and Metals at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Paul Bartnik has been designing and making high-end jewelry for the last twenty-eight years. He is JA certified and a graduate of Revere Academy. For six years he held the position of head goldsmith and designer for a well known jewelry store and since then has been independently creating custom pieces for private clients as well as other custom jewelry store accounts.
Paul had been mentoring jewelery students for the past eleven years in his studio, Nova Jewelry Collective based in Portland, Oregon. His specialties are in hand engraving, wax carving, filigree, and advanced stone setting.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
- Interim Co - Executive Director
Raquel Alonso-Perez is the Curator of the Mineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University (MGMH). Raquel received her B.S. in geology from the University of Granada, Spain, and her Ph.D. in Earth and Material Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, and graduated as gemologist by the Gemological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). Her teaching strengths are mineralogy and gemology and her main research interests are evolved from understanding Earth forming processes to the origin of gem deposits by using a dual approach of non-destructive analytical techniques. As Curator of the MGMH Raquel is responsible for access to, teaching, research, public education, and continued development of the Earth Science Collections. Raquel is on the advisory board of the Association for the Study of Jewelry and related Arts, the Women Jewelry Association- Boston Chapter and Associate Editor of the Gemological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A).
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
SULO BEE earned their BFA from Texas State University with a focus in Metals and Jewelry in 2018. They have exhibited their work with Heidi Lowe Gallery, Ombre Gallery, JCK Las Vegas, ACC Atlanta and Baltimore, Vancouver Metal Arts Association, Australian Temp/Contemp Gallery, and Milan, Italy Jewelry Week. SULO was included in the One for the Future emerging artist program, Placement, The EXHIBITIONIST, and Here We Are during New York City Jewelry Week. In 2018 they completed a 3 month residency at the Baltimore Jewelry Center. SULO was also included in the American Craft Council emerging artist program HIP POP. They are featured in the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt Learning Lab highlighting LGBTQIA+ artists, SNAG JaMS, ARTISTAR Jewels, and Accessory Vanity Fair Magazine. SULO is currently an MFA candidate at SUNY New Paltz.
Job Titles:
- Member Emeritus of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors