Saturday, October 17th
Broadway Performance Hall
1625 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122
Register Here!
The Seattle Metal Guild’s Symposium Committee are pleased to present the 20th Anniversary Northwest Jewelry and Metals Symposium!
This year’s stellar lineup includes the dynamic designer-creator partnership of Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg – better known as Nervous System, who together will present Growing Objects about their unique working methods, their title a nod to 3D printing jargon as well as the growth systems of flora and fauna that they replicate. Jewelry artist and writer Jillian Moore will talk Big Time, Small Potatoes about how the facets of her practice – making, writing, teaching and selling – are delicately fused together to form her creative career, while object maker and educator Christine Clark will expand on her love of craft and humanity and how these twin loves meet in her installations, and the residencies that have helped her in her artistic journey. Blacksmith John Rais will present The Process of Design, Large And Small, charting his career through his works, including the collaborations that have especially helped his larger objects. Finally, artist Jennifer Trask’s talk, Vestige: Written in Bone will expand on her practice, from the influence of archaeology, anthropology and biology to her metalsmith training, and her passion for the decorative arts.
The 2015 edition sees us back on Broadway in Capitol Hill and ready to rock with all the Symposium classics, but as ever there is more than just one day of action. This year the weekend prior to the Symposium will host a Jillian Moore Workshop: New Surface Techniques with Resin, proudly presented by Seattle Metals Guild’s Workshop Committee. You’ll have to get in quick for this one as Jillian has previously hosted sold-out workshops in Seattle!
While regular attendees will know that the Symposium includes not one but two silent auctions, the news is that this year we have already secured works of eminently collectable handmade jewelry by famous local artisans, so check out the donations link for more details on these unique pieces, or if you have something to donate. And if you’re in the market for a bargain we have already started amassing many other treats! As usual there is also Charon Kransen’s book sale, which specializes in hard-to-find titles from the realms of jewelry and metalsmithing, and the Resource Table with High School Teachers’ Meet and Greet, a wonderful space to share knowledge and expertise about the industry.
If this is your first Symposium we welcome you too! We have planned a day that is carefully balanced between the formal and informal, the informative and the playful, between knowledgeable scholars and gifted makers, each of whom has a unique story to share. We welcome everyone who is interested in the craft and art of jewelry and metalsmithing, and trust that you will be embraced by a warm and open community of fellow enthusiasts, hobbyists, educators, technicians and full-time artisans and artists.
For the first time we have the added excitement of a pop-up exhibition right after the Symposium. Organized by local maker Everett Hoffman and featuring Northwest talent, it will be on view in the time between the last speaker and the now-customary speakers reception. Entitled Home Ties: An Intimate Study of Adornment for the Body and Home, it is an “exhibition of jewelry and adornment that questions and redefines the idea of home,” and will aptly take place inside a house located within walking distance of the Broadway Performance Hall.
Which brings us, finally, to our closing number! In honor of our 20th year we’ve added a few special flourishes across the day to celebrate, with an extra special finale at our now-traditional close-of-day speakers’ reception, this year at Rhein Haus in Capitol Hill. Everyone is invited to continue the festivities and join the speakers and current and past committee members in a toast to our 20-year milestone!
WHO
Founded in 1989, The Seattle Metals Guild is a non-profit community dedicated to promoting educational and networking opportunities for metals artists at all career levels and skill sets through lectures, workshops, social gatherings, and other enrichment opportunities, in order to strengthen our creative community.