Studiomates Jewelry Exhibit and Sale this weekend at Waltham Open Studios

by Metalwerx on October 28, 2013

Metalwerx once again joins its neighboring artists in Waltham Nov. 2-3 in a jewelry sale at the Waltham Mills Artists Association. Participation in Waltham Open Studios is just one of the many ways Metalwerx strives to maintain a presence in the greater Boston arts community. Come see what the artists who inhabit that mysterious corner of the school have been working on, and to learn about upcoming classes and workshops at Metalwerx.

Eleven Studiomates will exhibit and sell their jewelry alongside more than 70 Waltham artists at the Ira B. Gordon Center for the Arts, 144 Moody Street. The building was part of a complex owned by the Boston Manufacturing Company, which in the early 1800s began to produce cotton and wool textiles using water-powered looms, paving the way for the Industrial Revolution. The company closed its doors in 1930, the building was declared a National Historic landmark in 1977, and a few years later, it became home to a group of artists who transformed the neglected buildings into a thriving arts community.

The Studiomates’ motto is: To build a world class school, you need a world class community. While many of us hail from right here in Massachusetts, the varied work by this group of 17 full and part time bench jewelers is itself a showcase of the many paths a jeweler can follow.

Here is a brief introduction to the artists you can meet at this weekend’s Open Studios show and sale, Nov. 2-3, Saturday 12-6 and Sunday, 12-5. The Waltham Mills Artists Association is also accessible by MBTA. For more information click here.

Carol Miller returned to metalworking after retiring as a teacher in Cambridge public schools. She likes to work with precious metal clay, weave her own chains, and to challenge herself by creating intricate, miniature fold-formed earrings and pendants.

Hiromi Suter is inspired by the influence of art on architecuture and design through the ages and across cultures. She enjoys employing patterns from bygone eras and hand-cutting with a jeweler’s saw to bring light through, resulting in three-dimensional pieces with mysterious yet elegant shadows. She describes her work as a “marriage of neoclassical flourish and subtle feminine beauty,” sometimes subconsciously reflecting her native Japanese culture.

Hiromi Suter Necklace

Len Smith, a Michigan native, provides invaluable assistance when the Metalwerx computers get cranky. He works with a variety of techniques, ranging from making his own mokume gane to hand piercing delicate designs for earrings and pendants that make for airy but substantial jewelry.

Len Smith Earrings

Lindsay Minihan is the gasoline that powers the Metalwerx engine. Since 2006, as executive director, Lindsay has steadily overseen the school’s progression to a nationally acclaimed educational institution. She has a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a focus on small metals.  Lindsay brings some pieces from her Felt Bud line of jewelry, which was recently featured on the Daily Art Muse.

Lindsay Minihan Necklace

Sharon Stafford has been a Metalwerx studiomate since June 2012. This is her first time at Waltham Mills Open Studios.  As a metals artist, she strives to create objects and jewelry that beg to picked up, held and investigated–artwork with intriguing form, textures, and unexpected details.  Most of her work incorporates elements of weaving, hammering, corrugation and fold-forming.  She also is our in-house graphic designer and gave our course catalog a lovely new look!

Sharon Stafford pinch of copper

Shing Hsieh is our newest Studiomate. She makes colorful, soothing, beautiful, accessible jewelry for a woman’s everyday use. Her pieces are varied and arise from the joy in creating with different colors, textures, design patterns, and choices of stones.  Her use of different color combinations highlight and accentuate a woman’s coloring, hair and eyes, making the piece both a focus and a part of the whole woman.

Sharon Stafford pinch of copper

Chilean native Sylvia Stephen is a multi-talented jeweler, having worked as a commercial airline pilot, a college-level classical piano instructor, and editor. Her jewelry often features unusual precious stones and combinations of gold and silver in styles that range from art nouveau to 21st  century modern.

Wendy Jo New of Wendy Jo New Metal Designs designs and produces fine, contemporary jewelry and other metal objects.  She’s been part of Metalwerx for almost as long as it has existed and also enjoys teaching there. Wendy recently volunteered for the monumental task of coordinating Vendor Day, Metalwerx’ biggest annual fundraiser,  and often brings to the school delicious sweet treats.

Wendy Jo New Rings

When not helping promote the work of Oaxacan ceramic artists, Ellen Carno can be found at her bench discovering new ways to use color in her jewelry, either by anodizing aluminum or kiln firing enamels.

Ellen Carno Earrings

Lastly, if you read the Metalwerx blog you will often find my name, Yleana Martinez, at the end. I was fortunate to discover Metalwerx in 2006, as the level of instruction and welcoming energy have transformed me in ways I never thought possible. My style aims for a modern, contemporary look. I currently am fascinated with grinding and polishing semiprecious stones that I pick up while traveling.

Yleana Martinez Moderna

Metalwerx Studiomates enjoy 24-hour access within a dedicated work area of the building. Each Studiomate has his/her own workspace, shares a soldering and polishing area, computer with internet access, specialty tools, kilns, a rolling mill, and the library.

Are you interested in becoming a Studiomate but don’t want a full time rental? Bench sharing and sublet opportunities are available. Rent a bench for one day a week for three months! If you are interested in becoming part of the Metalwerx Community, please contact us for an application at info@metalwerx.com or by calling 617-781-8954.

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