Jewelry class is a brass act

Follow the sound of constant sawing through the Fine Arts Building, down a hallway lined with charcoal sketches and painted figures and into the sculpture lab. There, a dozen students fill the blocky wooden worktables, hammering away at slivers of silver, copper and brass. There's the familiar sound of a blowtorch firing up in the corner and an unfamiliar sharp squeak whenever a student drops hot copper in cool water. And through it all, there's that sound of constant sawing, scraping and filing as students craft metal into jewelry.

This room is home to metalsmithing and jewelry, a regular course offering of the art department that attracts a dedicated crew of students. Professor Jeanne Ilgen teaches the course in spring, summer and fall and, on the first day of each semester, she often finds herself welcoming back several familiar faces "It's addictive," she said of the craft.

A quick survey of the students showcases their enthusiasm. "I'm what she calls a lifer," joked David Hemry, who uses UA's senior citizen tuition waivers to return continuously with his wife, Sharon.

"I take this class every semester," dittoed student Ttyler Bailey, who started working with metals at East High (where she also took metalsmithing as often as possible). "I plan on taking it even when I'm past being able to get credit for it."

Thankfully, the course is built for students to keep coming back and improving. Each semester, Jeanne technically teaches three classes simultaneously-beginner, intermediate and advanced-in a creative environment akin to a one-room schoolhouse (the kind that's also equipped with blowtorches). Art students can enroll in each class twice for course credit, meaning a dedicated student could end up with six slots of metalsmithing on their transcript. But even that's not the end of the road. "If you want to go further, you can work out an independent study," Jeanne added.

But don't confuse jewelry making with summer camp craft time. "This is not a hobby class, it's a college-level art class and we take that very seriously," Jeanne continued. With 25 years at UAA and a host of local and international shows to her name, Jeanne is an exceptional resource for metalsmithing students. The class is largely independent, but Jeanne never has a moment's rest as she darts around the studio, answering questions, providing guidance, ensuring safety and stoking creativity.

As students progress through the levels, their skills develop along with their autonomy in the classroom. New students learn the basics with Jeanne while upper-level returners get to hammering and sawing from day one. "When you're a beginner, I equate that to climbing up a rock face and hanging on by your fingernails," Jeanne said, adding that a first time student may only finish the semester with two or three completed pieces. However-once a student grows familiar with processes like pressing and soldering and sawing and buffing, they may leave class with a tackle box full of finished products.

A major advantage of the one-room schoolhouse style is the creative inspiration. All students must take beginners drawing prior to metalsmithing so they can develop an eye for design. "Design is the most important thing," explained art student and military veteran Tim Craft, who's taking the class through his GI benefits. Beginners may struggle to adapt to three-dimensional design, and Jeanne acknowledges the benefit of having advanced students brimming with ideas working alongside beginners fresh out of drawing class.

"You just get better at it and get more free roam," explained art major Erika LeNorman, now taking the class for the second time. What brought her back for round two? "I love this teacher, so of course I have a blast," she smiled. This semester, Erika has been bringing in her own unique supplies-blocks of rosewood, parts of disassembled music boxes-to create her own line of jewelry (you can see her work on Etsy).

She's not the only one adding personal materials to her projects. Although students are provided with copper, brass and most equipment, they can bring in whatever materials strike their fancy. Art major Jenna Gerrety happened to find an old radio shattered outside the Natural Science Building. One man's trash has become another woman's treasure, as the circular discs and mechanical coils are now being repurposed into an impressive necklace.

Like many other students, Jenna is also back for another round of metalsmithing. "Every piece is an adventure," she said while preparing an acid etching design. "My focus is in painting, but its nice to do something 3-D every once in a while ... One day I can be making a ring, the other I can be etching a necklace, the other can be bending medal or twisting wire or working with resin or wood. Its very diverse."

The supplies are just as diverse as the tasks. Some students prefer mechanical inspiration (like those music box rotors or busted radio guts) while others seek out mineral muses (turquoise stones, nautilus fossils). From a basic stash of supplies, the creativity on display is staggering.

It's largely due to the course's independent spirit. "If I see a technique in a book, I get to ask Jeanne about it and she says "Oh yeah, this is how we do it," Jenna noted. "Whatever you want to learn how to make, you can learn," added Tim. And Erika agreed as well. "There are no wrong answers," she said. "If you want to make something, you say 'Hey, is this possible?' And she'll say 'No,' or 'Yeah, let's do it!'"

In conversation with the students, three threads of thought come up again and again: the importance of design, the simplicity of the craft and the value of their professor. "There's complicated processes, [but] it's not extremely hard," said Ttyler. "It's my outlet ... I love it more than everything else [in the art department]. It's a lot of fun, and I didn't know how easy this would be."

"And fire is always fun," Jenna interjected.

"Yes, and fire is always fun," Ttyler nodded.

Beginners are, of course, always welcome in the busy, buzzing metalsmithing classroom. "I recommend it to anybody," Erika concluded. "If you're an art major-or you don't know you're an art major yet-then take it as an intro to your art experience.

"Even if you come in here saying 'I can't draw or 'I can't paint,' you can come up with something in jewelry and metalsmithing. Even the guys," she laughed.