American sculptor Alexander Calder made an impressive collection of jewelry using minimal supplies and tools. Silver wire, hammered flat and formed into spirals. Multiples were linked together using loops and rivets. What can you make using wire, your hands, pliers, hammers, and your brain? This introductory class will teach students to form metal wire (copper and brass) into spirals, wedges, loops, using cold forging, forming, riveting, and other creative cold connections to create a finished piece of jewelry: a bracelet, a pendant, pair of earrings, or something completely different! Copper and brass wire will be provided and students will share a variety of hand tools in order to create their finished product.

Your instructor Logan started hammering on metal wire she found in the junk drawer of her house with a beat up claw hammer to make jewelry when she was 13. She made a couple bucks at a craft fair and when the art teacher at her high school stopped by her booth (a blanket on the floor outside the gym) she let her enroll in a jewelry making class without having to take the drawing pre-requisite. She fell in love with metal and the endless variety of things you can make with it. She has a BFA in Metalsmithing from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Jewelry from Rhode Island School of Design and thinks hammering on copper and brass is the perfect way to get hooked on making beautiful objects out of metal. 

Class minimum:  3 attendees

Class maximum: 6 attendees

Minimum age: 16 years old