Art Jewelry magazine,and metalsmith the publication of SNAG,may be
of interest to you.
The ganoksin archives are an excellent source of having qeustions
answered- most questions you have as a beginner or novice have been
asked and answered,some ad nauseum, some that need filtration, on
Orchid.
As for jewelry schools//they are all so different, and choice
depends on what youwant to learn,or direction you want to head…for
example, William Holland lapidary schoool in Young Harris teasches
basic, and in most cases antiquated techniques -though valuable, the
school is far better a resource for lapidary arts specifically.
Penland is an intensive, expensive proposition, arrowmont topic
oriented an in an immersion context- a week or two at most in a
specific discipline or rather,technique. J.C.Campbell Folkschool, is
more akin to a destination vacation with a bit of topic specific
class thrown in…due to the over-the-top rules on studio time and
access which is far more liited than even william Holland- for
example, in most cses if you want to stay up until midnight working
at Wm. Holland int he silversmithing studio you’ re allowed to and
not treated as though you were six, and could not take the necessary
precautions around gas tanks…at j.c.campbell you are forced to leave
the studio for all mealtimes, whether you want them or not and the
studio generally gets closed at 5:30 pm-6 if you’re lucky…their
rules allow for a person to remain if you can find a clssmate to
remain with you -but no gas usage is supposed to occur (even though
you are charged for gas usage at a premium seperate from the course
fees, and other supplies on top of tuition and room and
board…whether you are taking an advanced level goldsmithing course
or are a complete beginner)so in the week long class and the
"projects that are offered,and the time you are given to complete
them you may only turn the torch on four times in a
week…)…nonsensical if you ask me! Wildacres is the Southern
Federation of Minerological Societies afiliated school, and exists
somewhere in between the offerings at Wm. Holland and
J.C.Campbell…though a bit more progressive than wm.holland…A
Major Note Re:William Holland- the fee schedules are deceptive at
best…
For instance, in one course the fee may state on paper that it is
$285.00 for the Sun-Friday week, with wed. afternoon’s off…Then a
"volunteer" instructor may tack on a fee for their time-which is
unilaterally allowed to happen Though not mentioned anywhere in
print.Supplies fees, regardless of whether you bring your own
gold,silver and/or stones is another point for consideration:one is
expected to not only buy from the instructors at VERY inflated
prices, but your course that is estimated on paper to cost you
$325.00 (before double occupancy room and board, if you don’t opt to
camp or use an rv hookup ) may turn into $700.000 if you are not
astute and contact an instructor before the class to have her/him
define the additional fees that the specific instructor will be
charging.Equally, that conversation will indicate your compatibility
with that instructor-I guarantee! Another alert at Wm. Holland is
that there is one PMC instructor duo that elevates the hidden costs
almost to an art form and the course that you read will cost 285.00
plus materials estimated to cost 100.00 actually makes no mentionof
the other 300.00 expected by the instructors for their
fees…unethical- yes…but the group that generally attend Wm.Holand
will not complain in any case on any level so it is allowed to
continue…
Arrowmont,Penland,Wm.Holland,J.C.Campbell,Wildacres,Bill Churlick’s
program in Asheville (Earthspeak Arts??), and Va Beach are the
nearest to you in Raleigh ( about 6 hours drive to the furthest point
-Arrowmont in Seveirville TN).
All except Wm.Holland offer financial assistance, work-study or
internships - though it is ridiculous to profess to offer work-study
or internships, or other financial assistance as Penland does, if
you are a beginner as they require a minimum of 5 slides of your work
and a statement of your background in jewelry -or any medium they
offer classes in- to be considered…also it is not handicapped
accessible in some disciplines so again, research and do your
homework.Talk to students of various instructors at the various
schools before sending in a single deposit…Many former students of
the “Southern Highlands jewelry circuit” schools can be found on
Orchid, and in most cases you’ll get an honest answer,if off Orchid
and more private…
Tim McCreight’s books,dvd’s,cd’s and videos are the best tools
available to the person that wants to learn on one’s own before
taking a class in a specific topic area…Charles Lewton-Brain’s
"Cheap Thrills in the Tool Shop" was an indispensible book in my
collection (before it floated away!) with a myriad of shortcuts,
simple ways to save money and usefull adjunct to the
detailed instruction in McCreight’s “Complete Metalsmith”, any
edition.
As for suppliers the highest priced is Rio Grande, the lowest overall
is Rosenthal’s in miami…and that is averaging the prices betwen
those two and perhaps five more top suppliers. Metals suppliers are
diffeent too. For customer service one cannot beat Hoover and Strong,
while David H. Fell in general, fails to even answer email…Hoover
and Strong has the overall lowest fabrication charges, and best perks
for account holders, with Handy and Harmon a close second,and
Thunderbird supply price-wise perhaps third however their metals
inventory is limited and different from the others mentioned ( it’s
one of the only suppliers offering “silver filled” sheet). Stuller,
even though a Louisiana company ( i’m a native) has the highest
fabrication prices and the most independant jeweler unfriendly
policies and one of the few firms that charges for a catalog.Reactive
Metals is an excellent provider of both customer services, and
non-tradional metals and I urge you to get a catalog from them to
familiarize yourself with their excellent assortment of
non-traditional stock ( precious metals and reactive metals) and
unique alternative metal products…but there are so many that
trial and error are how you will learn which company’s suit your
needs ( keep in mind that pooling your order with colleagues or
friends garners the highest discounts for quantity price breaks from
precious metals dealers and refiners)…
Don’t be overwhelmed
educate yourself a to your options
don’t rush into feeling as though you must take any class to lear
basics Check out your community colleges as some do have decent
metals offerings right there in Raleigh, and find out who has open
studios/studio times and make appointments ( and keep them!) to
unobtrusively observe…and visit Orchid often… And as though this
were not enough feel free to contact me off Orchid for
more opinions,etc.
R.E.Rourke.