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Name Biography
TBA
Melanie Atherton From a young age, I knew that I wanted to be an artist. However, it wasn’t until recently I knew what that meant for me. Born and raised on the south coast of Massachusetts, I received my BFA in Jewelry & Metals (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) after bouncing around for quite a bit. In the years prior to receiving my BFA, I dabbled in many mediums from industrial design to painting. I also received my MFA in Visual Arts. (Vermont College of Fine Arts)

If you would have told me ten years ago that I would become a professional metalsmith, I may have laughed. Both of my parents were metalsmiths having originally met while in school together. Unfortunately, neither are practicing. That’s why it is sort of bizarre that I have landed here. However, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My education as well as my personal experiences have undoubtedly led me to where I am today, and I can’t wait to see where this journey will take me. I look forward to meeting you and helping you on your creative journey as well!
John Barrett Learn more about John and his work here: Bladeandwheel.com
Rachel Benson
Alondra Biberos
Jennifer Carey
Mallorey Caron
Clay Studio Faculty
Michael Coffey
Gina Cranford
Kim Cutler
Julian De La Garza

Artist Bio

Julian De La Garza was born in New York, and raised in Rhode Island. He received his BA in Jewelry/Metals from Rhode Island College and then went on to work in the industry. During this period he was a diamond setter for Tiffany & Co. and then a model maker for C & J Jewelry working on high-end jewelry brands such as David Yurman, Haverhill Leech, and Tiffany & Co. All while also continuing his personal studio practice and jewelry business.

Realizing he had always wanted to teach at the college level, he left the stagnancy of the industry and decided to go back to school to obtain his MFA at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Artisanry with a focus on Jewelry/Metals. During his stay at the university he has received high awards for his jewelry design skills through juried competitions and has also had opportunities to teach as well as assist advanced classes.

Check our Julian's website here and his Instagram page here!

 

 

Tiffany DeFreitas
Rachel Dubicki
Paul Dumanoski Paul Dumanoski studied photography at the Worcester Center for Crafts under Peter Faulkner. The subject for his work is the environment, both natural and man-made. He has exhibited his photographs in juried shows throughout the region and recently won an award in Preservation Worcester's Architectural Images VI.
Louis Garcia
Jill Goyette
Peter Grigg Peter Grigg

Education

  • PHD. Physiology. State University of NY Syracuse
  • MS. Syracuse University
  • BS. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

    Past work

  • Professor Emeritus U Mass Medical School

    Artist Statement

  • Even though I am a technician, I hope to enlighten my students by showing them the skills of enameling, using bold colors and durable product. I appreciate the many challenges that come with enameling.
  • Polly Marie Hansel www.pollyachiart.com
    Nicholas Hesson Nicholas Hesson is an art educator, jeweler, enamelist, and CAD designer. His work utilizes a combination of digital and hand fabrication processes inspired by the human form and iconography associated with memento mori, beauty, and the human body.
    After receiving his Associate in Fine Arts from Bucks County Community College he worked there as a 3D Arts Lab Technician maintaining the day-to-day operations of the studio. He simultaneously pursued his Bachelors in Fine Arts as he commuted to Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University where he assisted instructors as a teaching assistant as well as took classes. He received his BFA in Metals/Jewelry/CAD/CAM from Tyler in 2020. In the Spring of 2023, he graduated with his MFA in Metal Design from East Carolina University where he worked as a graduate teaching assistant. He now resides in the New England area where he works as a Silversmith for Tiffany & Co.
    Patti Kelly
    Jeanne Kowal
    Holly Lauer
    Maya Machin

    Maya Machin grew up on a homestead in Vermont where the emphasis was on using and making things by hand. Maya began her pottery endeavors at Romulus Craft where she did a mini-apprenticeship for her senior project in high school, and was completely hooked. She attended Hampshire College and concentrated on early childhood education and ceramics. In 2003, she began a three-year apprenticeship with Mark Shapiro in Worthington, MA. She has also studied under and/or assisted David Stuempfle, Michael Kline, Kim Ellington, Naomi Dalglish, and Michael Hunt. She shows regularly in juried craft shows and galleries in the area. Maya has always loved teaching and is adept at meeting every student where they are and helping them increase their skill in a way that works for them.

     

     

     

    Caterina Maina
    Carol Martens
    Bridey McGlynn Bridey McGlynn is a multi-media artist from Northborough, Massachusetts. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from Syracuse Univeristy. Bridey specializes in oil painting, screen print, and block printing.
    Tom O'Malley

    Tom O'Malley began studying ceramics in high school and received his BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1985. He received his MFA, with honors, from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1994. O'Malley has exhibited nationally and internationally, winning numerous awards. He received an LCC Grant in 1998 and his pottery was the recipient of the People's Choice Award at the 2002 Strictly Functional Pottery National.

    His work has appeared in a number of publications, including Lark Books 500 Tiles, and is slated to appear in the forthcoming publication 21st Century Ceramics. He has taught at RISD, Rhode Island College, Becker College, Worcester State University and the Worcester Center for Crafts, and has presented a variety of workshops and lectures throughout New England. He has been a board member of The Studio Potter since 2005 and currently is the Studio Liaison and Program Director of the Worcester Center for Crafts.

    View Tom's Latest Work and Profile: Tom O'Malley Ceramics

    Lars Paulson
    Dahlia Popovits Dahlia Popovits has been weaving creative cloth for 40 years. She designs and hand-weaves all the garments and accessories in her collection. The tactile aspect of the work also draws her in, as she encourages a visitor to feel the softness of a bamboo jacket. Bamboo has become a popular material for environmentally-conscious clothing designers because of its sustainability. “It’s an incredibly comfortable fiber that wicks away moisture and is comfortable year round.” Inspired by fashion, color, texture and nature, her clothing is comfortable, stylish and distinctive, with fans who know it when they see it on other women. “When somebody wears a Dahlia garment to a meeting or function and another woman says, ‘Oh, you’re wearing a Dahlia,’ it’s recognized, and that to me feels great.”
    Jana Silver
    Metals Studio Assistant
    Joshua Swalec Education and Experience

  • Graduate of Worcester Vocational Technical High School: study of all welding processes, mechanical drawing, and certified in stick metal arc welding of mild steel in all positions 1998
  • Blacksmithing course: Touchstone School of Crafts 1998
  • Jewelery making I and II: Worcester Center for Crafts 1999-2000
  • 18 years experience in blacksmithing, welding, metal fabrication, landscape design and construction.
  • Active member of the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America and New England Blacksmiths

    Awards and Achievements

  • Awarded Massachusetts Cultural Coalition grant for public art in partnership with the Higgins Armory Museum.
  • Award winning: Fitchburg Forge-In (regional blacksmithing competition), Intermediate division champion 2000
  • Professional division champion 2008, and 1st Place- Decorative Trellis Panel 2009.

    Artist Statement

    I strive to make art which is functional, and which leaves people wondering how it was made. As a blacksmith, I integrate ancient and modern technologies to produce effective and beautiful tools and products.
    I value making a tool to make a tool to make a part to a finished piece rather than buying an inferior part at the store.

    Exhibitions
  • The Sprinkler Factory and Expanding Continuum September 2012

    Website
    Blog
    Facebook Page
  • Jennifer Swan Jen Swan is a teaching artist and mural painter who shares her love of art with the diverse community of Worcester and its surrounding cities and towns. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she currently teaches classes for the Worcester Art Museum, Listening Wellness Center, The Overlook, LACI Homeschoolers and in many public and private schools as a Cultural Partner. Making connections between art and nature has also inspired collaborations with the Audubon and EcoTarium. Her recent paintings explore art and ecology as she portrays the web of interrelationships in our environment. Through plein air landscapes, botanical and wildlife studies, she wishes to creatively propose new possibilities for coexistence, sustainability and healing.
    Victoria Taft
    Ava Travers
    Beth Woodruff
    D Zeutas-Broer D is an experienced and enthusiastic holistic health consultant, diversity trainer, and certified yoga teacher. She founded Pure Energy Yoga and Holistic Health Consulting over 20 years ago, to provide personal and small group sessions and classes to those seeking a more creative and balanced lifestyle. D is a Licensed Certified Social Worker with an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and doctoral work in Human Services and Applied Behavioral Sciences including holistic therapies, the use of imagery in therapy, and social justice. She has specialized in enhancing mindfulness, and optimal stress response for athletes, clinicians, service providers, and trauma survivors of all ages. D is, also, a Level IV Reiki Master, a dancer, poet, and mixed media artist, who is inspired by cityscapes, nature and animals. She participated in improv workshops led by Academy Award winning actor, Alan Arkin, and thinks it’s all improv.