Final Days in Certaldo

My time in Italy was serendipitously booked-ended with Certaldo. As you know I spent a few days there in the beginning and taught the advanced jewelry students. Then after nearly a week away in Florence and Venice, I returned to Certaldo. It was so nice to have some quiet moments there again after the crowds in the cities. I spent more time with the advanced students and gave a lecture. Then I was able to attend the student exhibition that served as the culmination of their semester abroad. A big thanks to the Italy Intensives program, Linda Darty, and Marissa Saneholtz for generously hosting me!

I also went on a few long walks: one to seek out graffiti in Certaldo Basso and the other to wander in the countryside. Both were wonderful in very different ways. The graffiti was inspiring, some of the best I've seen, while Tuscan landscape made me want to move there and live in a stone house at the end of a Cyprus-lined road. Here are some final pictures...

More pictures on Facebook and Flickr.

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Professoressa Due

I worked with the advanced metals students again today. First they showed me the materials they had chosen at the market yesterday. Then I had them make a list of the materials they were interested in yesterday but did not choose and asked them to compare these items to the list of 50 things from a few days ago. I also had them write for 15 minutes about the material they did choose. (I feel very strongly about the importance of writing about your work--you will learn so much about your work and process especially if you write consistently and often.) Next I asked the girls to make at least three samples with the material they chose in the remaining class time. We gathered together needles and thread and various office supplies like staples and tape, all of which they could use to help fabricate and connect their samples. (This exercise was very similar to my 3D sketching class and their samples should lead them to ideas for final pieces.) At the end of class I asked them questions about the samples and we talked about how the "sketches" could translate into finished pieces. I'm looking forward to seeing what they make in the coming days and will be back at the end of next week for a final crit after my excursions to Florence and Venice.

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Professoressa

I taught the advanced metals class yesterday and earlier today. I began by giving a short PowerPoint presentation on ideas. I described my process and talked about the different ways I find and develop my concepts. I showed images of studio exercises, works-in-progress, and finished pieces. Then I lead the students through a 30-minute exercise, asking them to list things they like and then organize them into broader themes. When they were done I explained how the list becomes a tool and can be revisited and revised. We also talked about brooches because the students are about to begin their final project--two brooches that incorporate different materials alongside metal and, most importantly, beautiful pin backs.

metals studio

Italy Intensives school

Today we walked down to Certaldo Basso to the Wednesday farmer's market so students could find their material of choice--one material to be used in two different ways. The material can be manipulated in any manner they wish--sewn, painted, burned, etc.After we browsed the entire market, Marissa and I left them alone to purchase their materials without any "pressure" from us, their instructors. 

all sorts of stuff at the market

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I Might Also be Coming to Your Town to Teach

teaching at Pocosin Arts Center

My 2013 schedule includes lots of teaching and lecturing. This week I leave for Yuma, AZ to present at the Yuma Art Symposium and immediately following I drive to Long Beach, CA to give a different lecture at Long Beach City College. My talk at Yuma will be about Belgium and the work I made there, while my talk at LBCC will be geared toward professional development.

Just a few weeks after I return to Asheville I head back to California, this time to Oakland to be a visiting artist at the California College of Art. I will be giving two lectures there, one for the department and another one for the class I'm visiting. The department talk will be about my work and my process and the class talk will focus on how I use color and spray paint. I will also teach a workshop on color on metal. The department lecture is free and open to the public, Thursday, March 14 from 3-4pm.

Then shortly after that I leave the US again for three months with my first extended stay in Certaldo, Italy where I will teach at the ECU Italy Intensives program. The dates for this are April 8-12. I imagine this to be a rather casual time--I will be present in the classroom, helping students as needed, giving a lecture, doing impromptu demonstrations, and spending time with students one-on-one.

teaching at City College of San Francisco 

When I return to the US in July I will be in Raleigh, NC to teach my chains class at the Pullen Arts Center. The two-day workshop, "Innovating the Chain," will take place July 20-21. Then in September I will teach the class again, but this time all the way over in Snohomish, WA at The Ranch Center for Arts and Crafts just outside of Seattle. The dates for this class are September 7-8. Later at the end of the month I will return to Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts to teach a longer version of "Innovating the Chain" from September 22-28. I love teaching this chains class so I'm psyched to have a chance to teach it around the country.

Here are two examples of chains my students made when I taught "Innovating the Chain" last year at Pocosin Arts Center:

 Hilary Anderson

Joanne Lang

If you have any questions about these classes or lectures, please feel free to email me at amy@amytavern.com.

And, here's a link to my collection of teaching pictures on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.