Did you know that there are skilled metalsmiths working here at Winthrop? Metalsmithing is a concentration in the Winthrop BFA and MFA programs. One of the students in the MFA program, Renee Holiday, helped organize a group of Winthrop jewelers and metalsmiths to participate in the Material Topics Symposium at Eastern Carolina University in Greenville, SC, on the weekend of Jan. 18-20. Although I am not in a metals class, I had a rare opportunity to join the Winthrop group and experience this amazing gathering of artists.
Here’s a little background on the annual event: in 2009, Metals MFA students at East Carolina University launched a Material Topics Symposium and invited metalsmithing students from several universities to come together in Greenville. 10 years later, the symposium has become a vital annual event, hosting representatives from 45 institutions from all over the U.S., as well as independent or unaffiliated guests. During the weekend-long conference, there are artist lectures, workshops and many opportunities to meet and talk with metalsmiths, jewelers, and craftspeople of varying skills. This event does more than bring students together to learn from masters in their field, it also encourages nation-wide connections between creators. Friendships are made, skills are shared, and work is inspired.
Our Winthrop contingent started off at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, and despite a few travel challenges, we made it to Greenville and set up the student collection ECU invited us to display. There were 13 students in attendance, and each of us brought a piece, or a photograph of a piece, to include in our display. The first evening was dedicated to set up for all the groups participating in the symposium and, additionally, gave us the opportunity to meet other student participants.
Saturday and Sunday were filled with talks from accomplished artists such as Susie Ganch and Lori Talcott, as well as breakout sessions where attendees got to watch other artists at work, making examples of their signature techniques and styles. Not only did I get to meet and hear from all of these accomplished artists, I was also able to bond with students in my very own department with whom I’d never really spent much time. Being with all of these creative people was empowering and inspiring, and it was a wonderful reminder that having a career in art is possible. The artists demonstrated that metalsmithing is not only a fine art, it is also a marketable commercial skill. Who do you think makes wedding rings?
Dominique Gadsden, who has a BFA from Winthrop, with a concentration in metalsmithing, graduated in December 2018. She believes attending the Material Topics Symposium is extremely important for recent graduates because of the opportunity to network. She was able to speak with several of the artists who have inspired her and expanded her network of connections in the metalsmithing world. Gadsden even had the opportunity to be featured on Sarah Rachael Brown’s podcast “Perceived Value.” Brown is a podcaster who considers herself an “adornment artist,” and is well known in the jewelry-making community. After the weekend was over, Gadsden said “it is easy to feel out of the loop after you graduate because you are no longer in a school setting,” and “attending events like the symposium [allowed her] to reconnect with the jewelry community at Winthrop and outside of the university.”
Recent Winthrop graduate Dominique Gadsden was featured on Sarah Rachael Brown’s podcast “Perceived Value” while at the symposium
Sky Gilbert, a BFA freshman here at Winthrop planning to concentrate in jewelry metals, said “[attending ECU] was very impressive and inspiring” and “being able to see how big the metals community really is was heartwarming.” Gilbert already has some experience with jewelry making, and was able to show off some of her work when connecting with other students.
