I have decided not to advertise with Metalsmith

Jewelry Discussion
1

I have decided not to continue advertising with Metalsmith for a
number of reasons.

Software needs were covered in my fax of 17sep2004. I cited
affordability, and ad rates are going up no matter what I do.

Our telephone conversation of 20 Sep brought to light the pitiful
state of our graphic workstation. The fact that its been since
mid-May means work is piling up vis-a-vis website and a much-needed
Materials Catalog update. That diverts ad creation energies.

I read in the Orchid Forum that the Metalsmith XIP ran an article on
the work of Keith Lewis. Even his advocates state that his work has
overt homosexual content. I am straining my mind to recall seeing
this article or the accompanying imagery. All I recall seeing of
Metalsmith recently is the tear sheet accompanying my ad bill. If I
had seen the homoerotic imagery, I would have chalked it up to
artistic expression. If my assistant had seen said imagery, she
assures me she would have had words with me about it. Since there’s
been a bunch o’ nothin’ to do, I would have passed said advertiser’s
copy in her direction. And my rates are going up?

The majority of personnel at I.J.S. do not approve of homosexual
conduct, but understand that it takes all kinds to make the world go
’round. We collectively could care less about private conduct, owing
to our live- and-let-live attitudes. We should hope that
practitioners of certain behaviors recognize our right not to
"celebrate" those behaviors. Too much to explain to the kids, doncha
know? Liberty is only sustainable when it’s undergirded with
morality. If you don’t agree now, wait until you get robbed or
raped, which I hope never happens.

As for a venue for Keith Lewis’s work, I’m sure the good folks at
the Advocate and kindred publications would be more than glad to
celebrate his audience-specific achievements. For their audience,
they are fine and respected publications, with great followings,
perhaps even greater in number than Metalsmith.

While I’m grateful for the offer of ad generation, again, it’s a
greater expenditure, which is easy to advocate when it’s not your
money. Rerun the ad with the bench and dust collector if needs be.

On a different note, we were required to complete a Digital Files
Summary with every ad we submitted. Very patronizing bit of
paperwork, that. Especially going to established accounts who submit
proper ads and pay their bills. I can see a DFS going out to new
advertisers, and going out to all advertisers, when there are new,
different format requirements on your end. I can see a DFS going out
to avant-garde designers who couldn’t follow a rule printed on the
front of their t-shirt. When it’s business-as-usual, wouldn’t an
acceptably formatted file on disc, plus a good proof, be adequate?

And then there’s the $10.00 fee to return a CD-ROM that cost $0.83
to ship. That’s just a bad PR move. Not that I need the reproducible
disc anyway.

Daniel Woodard
Indian Jewelers Supply Co
@Daniel_Woodard2

2

OK

I have refrained from commenting about this until this (Daniel
Woodard) email.

I am really grateful that when I look at art, I do not have to
critique the artist before I can say whether I like it or not.

I am really grateful that all artists have been given the talents
that they have been given, including my own talents.

And finally I am glad I do not have to write an email like Daniel
Woodard’s email.

Jan Kirkwood

3 
    know? Liberty is only sustainable when it's undergirded with
morality. If you don't agree now, wait until you get robbed or
raped, which I hope never happens.

Whoaaa, hold on a minute here. First of all kids have an absolute
right to know about the reality of the world around them. But that’s
minor, compared to the fact that you appear to be comparing
homosexuality with getting robbed or raped. How exactly do you put
all of these in the same context??? Homosexuality, for people born
into it, is often not a choice at all and it is also not in any way
related to robbing and raping. Robbing someone is taking something
that doesn’t belong to you. Raping is forcing yourself onto someone
else physically. Homosexuality is being attracted to people of the
same sex. How exactly are these the same?

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
@Daniel_R_Spirer

4 
I read in the Orchid Forum that the Metalsmith XIP ran an article
on the work of Keith Lewis. Even his advocates state that his work
has overt homosexual content. I am straining my mind to recall
seeing this article or the accompanying imagery. All I recall 
seeing of Metalsmith recently is the tear sheet accompanying my ad
bill. If I had seen the homoerotic imagery, I would have chalked it
up to artistic expression. If my assistant had seen said imagery,
she assures me she would have had words with me about it.

Well Danial, whether or not you choose to advertise is up to you.

But please, take the time out of your busy schedule to look up Keith
Lewis’ work. Yes, it reflects his own experiences with being gay,
and his politics and humor. And some people sadly do feel
uncomfortable with suggestions of homosexuality, even when they find
no such problem with heterosexual themes all around us. But Keith
takes clear joy in his work, and is a very creative and fine
craftsman, as well as a talented teacher. Even if you think you’ll be
offended by homoerotic art, take the time to look. For my own part,
just as an example, I’m totally hetero in orientation, and in my own
sexuality, even a bit homophobic. But this doesn’t impact my
recognition that other people’s sexuality is their business, and
Keith not only is someone I consider, now and then, a friend, but an
artist who I quite admire. Certainly not someone I’d disapprove of
based on who he is or is not attracted to sexually. His work, whether
it leaves you uncomfortable or not, is, in a word, brilliant,
creative, humerous, and will add to your understandings. It is as
exhuberant and empowering to heterosexual thinking as it is to the
gay and lesbian folks among us. His work teaches us things and shows
us things. If that doesnt’ define quality artwork, then I’m not sure
what does. And I would hope that a publication related to the
fhighest aspirations of fine art in jewelery, would go to some
lengths to try and include work reflective of many attitudes to life
as well as to the jewelry field. I would expect inclusion of things
like Kieth’s work, as well as other nontraditional work (CAD virtual
images, for example) to be arguments in favor of you wishing to
support the magazine, not against it. We are all richer for the
diversity we can see in our colleagues work in publications like
metalsmith. If the notion escapes you or your assistant, then I
suggest further reflection on the subject is in order.

If your choices regarding advertisng are strictly businss, fiscal,
time and energy, and the like, and you find that metalsmith isn’t
your best ad source, then fine. Don’t advertise there. But linking
such a choice to Keith’s work in the magazine is just plain silly.
However, I’d wonder, in the event someone asks me (and they do, now
and then) for suggested sources for metals and tools and the like,
how am I, when i realize I’m not sure where my lists are, going to
include you in the recommendation, if I can’t just pull down a
metalsmith issue and start listing the advertisers? (and yes, I’ve
done just that more than a few times, as the moderator of the
rec.crafts.jewelry newsgroup.) Surely you don’t expect me to
actually organize my records, do you? grin)

Peter Rowe

5

Daniel, I agree that post was totally out of left field! No offence
to my American friends but ‘Liberalism’ is NOT a swear word! Let’s
see some tolerance on this list, eh!

Regards,
Taylor in T.O.

6

Wow, I’d like to hand it to Daniel Woodard for simultaneously
alienating any and all homosexual metalworkers who may purchase from
him, using the Orchid forum to pursue his employee’s homo-phobic
agenda, and last but not least…not contributing any useful
metalworking at all! Kudos to Danny Boy!

If you have business to business issues with a company or
publication, call the Better Business Bureau and your lawyer.

…and why would a homosexual man like Lewis make homo-erotic art
anyway?? that’s just crazy!

(hint: this is sarcasm)

Love,
a heterosexual metalworker who will no longer purchase from IJS

7

The hue and cry over Keith Lewis’ jewelry, or rather his subject
matter, raises an interesting point.

The cited Metalsmith feature on Keith Lewis is also to be found
online on Orchid’s own website, here-

The recurrent theme in Lewis’ work seems to be realistic depictions
of genitalia, male and female. This is not inherently homosexual,
nor is it for that matter anything new in the way of art or jewelry.
Orchid’s own Hanuman, some years back, shared a photo of a penis
amulet, such being popular with Thai men- I believe it was a phallus
with the legs of a rabbit, and was used as a sort of lightning rod
to draw away evil spells directed at ones genitals. Depictions of
the phallus were also ubiquitous in Roman art, particularly winged
phalluses.

In a more contemporary vein, I have on at least one occasion seen
jewelry featured in the Lapidary Journal which seemed to be an only
slightly stylized depiction of female genitalia (although this
inspiration for the piece was not cited in the article.) I have seen
other pieces of contemporary jewelry as well which while more
stylized were definitely labial in their inspiration.

So why the excitement over Keith Lewis? While the rhetoric
surrounding his work is overtly gay activism, the work itself (the
more contemporary work, anyway) is neither political or distinctly
gay.

Odd that nobody has mentioned the technical merits of Keith Lewis’
work, e.g., the enameling, the composition, etc. I find that more
interesting than his subject matter.

Lee Einer
Dos Manos Jewelry
http://www.dosmanosjewelry.com

8 
    I have decided not to continue advertising with Metalsmith for
a number of reasons.

Metalsmith has absolutely nothing to do with my decision - which is
to never deal with “Indian Jewelers” again.

~kara

9 
     Orchid's own Hanuman, some years back, shared a photo of a
penis amulet, such being popular with Thai men- I believe it was a
phallus with the legs of a rabbit, and was used as a sort of
lightning rod to draw away evil spells directed at ones genitals.
Depictions of the phallus were also ubiquitous in Roman art, 
particularly winged phalluses.

Great memory Lee!

here is a visual link http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/paladkhik.gif

The Thai name for a penis amulet is palad khik, which means
“honorable surrogate penis.” They are worn by boys and men on a
waist-string under the clothes, off-center from the real penis,
in the hope that they will attract and absorb any magical injury
directed toward the generative organs. It is not uncommon for a
man to wear several palad khiks at one time, one to increase
gambling luck, for instance, another to attract women, and a
third for invulnerability from bullets and knives. women in
Thailand do not generally wear palad khiks, nor is there a Thai
equivalent of the vulva amulet for them to use – although a
circular disk amulet called a chaping is worn by young girls to
protect their genitals from evil forces. The palad khik amulet is
said to have originated in the Siva linga of India and to have
been imported to Thailand by Cambodian monks in the 8th century
AD. Early styles of palad khik bear inscribed invocations,
entreaties, and praises to Siva; later ones combine these with
interlineated invocations and praises to Buddha; modern ones bear
uniformly Buddhist inscriptions, invariably written in an old
form of script that cannot be read by contemporary Thais.

Palad khik amulets carved from wood, bone, or horn are made by
monks who specialize in their manufacture, and the efficacy of a
given amulet is dependant on the charisma and reputation of its
creator. The lettering of the inscriptions is a matter of serious
ritual and can take several days to complete. Cast metal palad
khiks do not always bear inscriptions, but they may carry the
additional symbolism embodied in an animal holding the penis.

And now can we all get back to jewelry issues and let homophobic
thread to rest? …

Hanuman

10

Clearly, I went off on a bad tangent with my remarks, and I have
nothing but regrets for them now.

Other than time, what sort of thing best removes egg from my face?

Daniel Woodard
Indian Jewelers Supply Co.

11

All;

With Daniel Woodard’s apologies to the list regarding his original
comments, I think that we can regard this thread history.

I would like to kindly remind you remind that Orchid is an
International discussion list and it is my job to keep the forum
healthy and maintain the integrity of the content.

For a better Orchid
Hanuman