Meets 9/7/2010 to 12/14/2010 on Tuesday from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM.
Meets 9/7/2010 to 12/14/2010 on Tuesday from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

Location: MICA Jewelry Center at Meadow Mill. Geared to the beginning student, but open to all levels; emphasizes creative thinking, design, and mastery of technical skills for making jewelry or small metal objects. Introduces jewelry as an expressive, inventive art form viewed with increasing seriousness over the last decade, as distinctions between sculpture, fashion, performance, and jewelry have blurred. Slide presentations and discussions provide an overview of contemporary and historical jewelry. Through demonstrations and hands-on experience, participants learn metalworking techniques, including sawing, soldering, polishing, riveting, surface embellishment, forming, and hollow fabrication—and apply these techniques to projects to create jewelry and/or small-scale sculpture of the student’s own design.

Meets 9/8/2010 to 12/15/2010 on Wednesday from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

Location: MICA Jewelry Center at Meadow Mill. In order to be successful in today's market, artists must also be entrepreneurs and small-business people. This class explores the practical world of making a living as a contemporary jeweler while gaining financial success. The focus of this class is on the design, production, marketing and pricing of your work. Included are techniques for: one-of-a-kind to mass production, fabrication, consistent quality finishes, use of findings and presentation from inception to completion. Geared to anyone interested in making a living as an artist, this class will satisfy the needs of the novice as well as the professional. Some jewelry making experience is helpful but not required.

Meets 9/8/2010 to 12/15/2010 on Wednesday from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

Location: MICA Jewelry Center at Meadow Mill. Since stone cutting began, gems and minerals of all kinds have been incorporated into the art of jewelry fabrication. Because of the diversity and distinct characteristics of gemstones, multiple setting techniques have been developed throughout the centuries to enhance each stone's brilliance and wearability. The basics of several setting techniques, including bezel, tube, flush and prong will be covered. Students have hands-on instruction and learn to apply the proper techniques to strengthen their jewelry making capabilities. NOTE: Students are requested to bring a flex shaft if possible.

Meets 9/13/2010 to 12/20/2010 on Thursday from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

Location: MICA Jewelry Center at Meadow Mill. This course builds on Introduction to Art Jewelry. Expertise in soldering, construction and finishing is further developed. Greater emphasis is placed on applying formal design concepts and expanding the student's personal imagery in jewelry and small sculpture. At the conclusion of this course, students are prepared to work more independently and take upper-level courses in the program.

Meets 9/9/2010 to 12/16/2010 on Thursday from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

Location: MICA Jewelry Center at Meadow Mill. This course is the companion to Metal Forming I: Linear Design, but is open to all students seeking to expand their knowledge of metalsmithing and forming techniques. Students learn how hammers and other tools are used to shape sheet metal into three-dimensional forms. Participants explore sinking, synclastic & anticlastic forming, and angle raising through a series of exercises designed to illustrate how metal moves three dimensionally. Larger scale soldering techniques, seaming, surface texturing and finishing will all be addressed and applied along with forming techniques learned to create two finished pieces of jewelry, hollowware, or sculpture. Emphasis is placed on design, function and finishing of completed pieces. Throughout the semester, slide presentations, demonstrations and lectures by visiting metalsmiths will be used to further enhance the breadth of information students receive. Prerequisite: Introduction to Art Jewelry.

Meets 9/13/2010 to 12/20/2010 on Monday from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM.

Location: MICA Jewelry Center at Meadow Mill. This class is designed specifically for advanced students seeking time to work independently, without a traditional class format of specific project assignments. The instructor oversees the group, while guest artists and faculty visit for one-on-one consultation, discussion, critiques and presentations. The class has full access to the jewelry studio as well as private benches for the duration of the semester. Students work cooperatively yet independently and share the opportunity for feedback and support from each other. A proposal and tentative work schedule for a self-designed course of independent study is due at the first class meeting. The instructor and guest artists review and consult with each student on their progress in this exciting opportunity to develop a body of work of their own design and creation.