Symposium ’12: Keepin’ it Local
Date: October 20, 2012
Location:
Broadway Performance Hall
1625 Broadway
Seattle, WA
98122
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/1yOyH
Registration: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/273515
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/172034396254622/
This year, we’re taking a fresh look at the Northwest. There’s big metal, not so big metal, wood, carving, kinetics and some things that can just make your life easier (at least your studio life). Yes, there’s a lot of metalsmithing muscle around here, but don’t expect the usual suspects. For instance…
Let It Ride: Merrily Tompkins
One of a kind: an accurate description of the artist Merrily Tompkins. Describing herself as a “renegade jeweler” she characterizes her pieces as “multi-media, three-dimensional, figurative, narrative art, many with moving parts”. Maybe the only inaccurate thing in these descriptions is the word “jeweler”. Yes, she makes jewelry– in the tradition we’ve come to know as Ellensburg Funk (which is fine, since she helped create the genre)– but “jeweler” doesn’t paint a complete picture of this remarkable maker. What she makes includes sculpture and public art commissions, portraits in burnt matchsticks, oddly compelling-self portraits and, yes, jewelry too. Her work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery and is represented in the Helen Williams Drutt Collection housed at the Museum of Fine Art, Houston. She is the real thing: a Northwest icon who is still vital and making work. Tompkins will speak about what she does and her life as an artist–and even a bit of Northwest art history, if we are lucky. Check out this piece on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgoolRwxSYY. On the other side of the mountains there’s….
The Goldsmith’s Tradition: Kevin Glenn Crane
Kevin Crane is a goldsmith’s goldsmith: a craftsman of the highest caliber. In the late 80’s Crane joined Phillip Monroe Jeweler (yes, that’s “jeweler” without an “s”), a downtown Seattle tradition, as a master goldsmith. He collaborated on custom and couture jewelry with Mr. Monroe until Monroe’s retirement in 2004. At that time Phillip Monroe Jeweler became Crane Jewelers (there’s the “s”) with Kevin Crane serving as Artistic Director and President of the corporation. Crane continues to maintain Monroe’s commitment to fine design, exceedingly high craft and quality service. Crane spoke in the early days of the Symposium on the restoration of heirloom jewelry and his insight into research and process was intriguing. Now, years later, he will offer an inside look at “the trade”– the world of “fine” and couture jewelry and speak about the traditional goldsmith’s path of education and training along with established shop practices and techniques. He will also present a detailed, concept-to-delivery examination of the commission process and (once again) a bit about the antique restoration and repair work for which Crane Jewelers is renowned.
Job It OUT! Outsourcing Take #1.
Speaking about “the trade”, it’s standard practice in the traditional jewelry industry to utilize the services of a variety of specialists in the completion of a piece. Many outside of the trade also avail themselves of these services. You can too. Don’t let the limitations of your personal studio get in the way. You can still etch those 1200 commissioned key fobs that you agreed (regretfully) to make, cast that engagement ring in platinum, get a good start on the piece for the wine cup show or have that crazy-big emerald set. All without having the facilities to etch, a single raising stake, a burnout kiln or the skill to prong set. Just utter the three magic words: Job It Out. This mantra can save you time, open possibilities and fill the gaps that may lie between your equipment (and abilities) and the things that you want and need to make. Outsourcing is a huge topic that ranges from the jewelry/metals specific to the industrial esoteric. We’re just going to scratch the surface–deeply– this time presenting four outsourcing opportunities: the Jewelry Trade Shop, the Casting House, Metal Spinning and Spray Etching.
Our presenters:
- Ace bench jeweler Peter Rowe, will speak about the full-service trade shop.
- James Magetteri from Outcast, opens the door onto the mysteries inside the casting flask and the Casting House.
- Lynne Hull, head of the metals program at North Seattle Community College unravels the process of Metal Spinning and then helps us source those services locally.
- Greg Kruger from Acu-Line talks about spray etching, a remarkable and versatile process.
Each presenter will speak for 15 minutes and then open the floor to your questions. This will be a valuable nuts and bolts informational experience. Speaking about nuts (okay, wood–I know it’s a stretch) there’s…
Only What You Can Carry: Julia Harrison
From Julia Harrison’s blog: I started this over a year ago, sporadically whipping out a rib or tibia whenever I had a free afternoon. Need we say more? Okay: Julia Harrison carves. Aside from wax model makers and the occasional lapidary, carving is not a process that we see much of in our field. And Julia Harrison is a really, really good wood carver. Truly a well-rounded and inquisitive artist, Harrison has earned an MFA in Metals from the University of Washington in 2004, as well as degrees in English (Macalester College, St. Paul) and Anthropology (Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia). In 2011 she received 4Culture Heritage Special Projects funding for her project “SweetMap: Asian King County. She has taught at Penland School of Crafts, the 92nd Street Y, Centrum, and Seattle’s Pratt, among other venues and her figurative jewelry and sculptures have appeared in galleries across the US and in England. Harrison writes: The years I spent living out of a bag have left an indelible mark on me and on my work, unsettled circumstances shaping my sculptures as surely as any rasp or chisel. Julia Harrison will speak about her life as a maker and her (to again parphrase) hard-won appreciation for the liberating power of limitations. Check out www.juliaharrison.net.
Work and Life: Bernard Hosey
Just as this piece was about to be sent to the newsletter editor, we received some sad news. No good way to say this: Our fifth presenter Bernard Hosey passed away on Thursday, August 9th in Twisp Washington where he lived and worked. He was only 64. Needless to say, we were all shocked to hear about Bernard and once again reminded of how short life can be and how quickly things can change. Hosey was the first speaker confirmed for this year and his presentation was something that we all really looked forward to. The symposium committee thought long and hard about how to move forward and we are pleased to announce that his friend and colleague Phillip Baldwin, has agreed to step in and speak about Bernard Hosey’s work and his life.
Bernard Hosey worked primarily in Twisp where he built beautifully complex large and small-scale sculpture. Hosey is also known for his spheres. He made over 70 of them, ranging in size from 32 inches to 12 feet across. From 2007 to 2011, Hosey worked in China, creating monumental pieces, a journey that began with the invitation to design a piece of sculpture for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Hosey leaves a catalogue of more than 170 sculptures including Alaska Totem a 34-foot sculpture for the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, Departure a 40-foot sculpture for the City of Tangshan, China and Flightdeck II a 128-foot long entryway sculpture for the Tri- Cities Cancer Center in Kennewick Washington. Click on www.bernardhosey.com to learn a bit more.
The Symposium venue will be new but we’re bringing the traditions that add texture to the Symposium with us. Yes, of course I’m talking about the Silent Auction and Charon Kransen’s Book Sale. The Resource Table and the High School Educators’ Summit too. All venerable symposium institutions that each year offer something fresh and unexpected. Maybe this year that sweet little Fretz raising stake will be up for bidding or maybe some crazy bit of machinery–who knows what it does, but no one is bidding on it and it’s just what you’re looking for. Maybe you’ll make that connection with another teacher that will changes both your worlds or find some obscure text that really opens your eyes. Or it could be some service detailed by one of our outsourcers that makes it possible to build that body of work that has always been beyond the reach of your studio. Whatever it is, you never know it until the day of the Symposium. We’ll also have a Display of Presenters’ Work right on site!
Pre-Symposium Reception:
October 19th, 6-8pm at Danaca Designs
5619 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
http://goo.gl/maps/GaopZ
Additional Info:
Parking
We’ve been a wee bit spoiled (I have, anyway) with the vast expanse of free parking at MOHAI. Don’t despair: we’ll still have ample parking at the Broadway Performance Hall. But it won’t be free: $5 all day. The garage is around the block from the “BPH “(see how comfortable we already are with the new location?) at the corner of Harvard & Pine.
Carpooling
Sure, they’ll be parking. But why not save four or five bucks and carpool? (You could up your bidding in the silent auction or buy a nice book.) It’s more fun, anyway.
Accessibility
We are pleased to announce that the BPH and atrium are handicapped and wheelchair friendly (this includes an elevator). But it will help immensely with setup if we are notified of the need in advance. Please contact Candace Beardslee –candace@candacebeardslee.com– before the Symposium and let us know.
Lunch
We have the entire dining atrium reserved for the Symposium. This light-filled facility is in an adjacent building a very short walk from the main BPH building and is also handicapped accessible. We will begin the afternoon program promptly after lunch and, while we will be able to let everyone in the atrium know when we are ready to resume the program, you are on your own should you choose to dine off campus. The lunchroom is often the place where new connections are made and serious networking happens and we heartily recommend joining everyone in the atrium. In either case, lunch is part of the price of admission, should you choose to eat in or out.
Rules and Regs.
While this has always been the case, it’s worth restating: no food or open containers in the auditorium. You can bring a bottle of water in but a) it must have a cap and b) it must leave the auditorium when you do. Cell phones should also be turned off or set on vibrate while in the auditorium. Okay, this isn’t a BPH rule, it’s mine; but it does make for a more civilized experience.
Auction
Contact Tegan for auction donations or to volunteer: see sidebar teganw@gmail.com
http://www.seattlemetalsguild.org/programs/symposium/
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