Jewelry Program Unique in State

Thu., Feb 23

In an unassuming art studio on the second floor of Earl Hall, students are using torches, saws, hammers and files instead of paint, clay or charcoal. This studio, stocked with the tools necessary for working with metals, is home to the only jewelry and metals program in a degree-granting institution in the state. 

The concentration within the studio art major has existed for maybe 50 years, says Professor of Art Terrence Lavin (pictured at left, with a student), who runs the program. It was small, with only two or three majors, when he first came to Southern in 2000, he says, but it has grown in the ensuing years and now has at least seven majors. In addition to Lavin, three adjunct professors are also now teaching classes. Typically, four beginning-level classes are taught each semester, with about 14 students per class. "The course is very popular," Lavin says. 

The concentration takes students through the full array of techniques and experiences they need to be able to design and create original jewelry or other metal pieces. The beginning course, ART 233 - Jewelry/Metals I, includes cutting, sawing and soldering metal. Essentially, students learn to make a sheet of metal into a three-dimensional object. In the course, Lavin says, students are taught the technical side of working with metals and then can explore their own ideas. The course is technically demanding and rigorous, as students are expected to develop strong skills to create the most rudimentary products. 

The introductory course is taught in the context of the Art Department, Lavin says, explaining that such an approach allows students to bring their interest in other studio arts to their metal work. In such a context, some students make jewelry while others may create works that are more sculptural and experimental. 

In the intermediate-level courses, students learn casting, metalsmithing and fabrication. Products of these courses might include ladles, teapots and other three-dimensional objects. 

Lavin is considering adding the beginning jewelry course to the Liberal Education Program (LEP), the university's new curriculum. "It would be great as part of the liberal arts to have students learn to do things by hand," he says. He has seen a paradigm shift over the past several years: as public schools have moved away from teaching students art and hands-on work, students often come to his courses unfamiliar with how to make things by hand. "Students can benefit from working with their hands," he says, pointing out that such work often has a meditative quality to it. But also, metalwork involves thinking about commodities such as silver and gold, and, Lavin says, involves physics, geometry, and other sciences, as well as art and practical knowledge. "The studio arts have never been part of the university requirements," Lavin says, "but this course would fit into the LEP program."

His students often surprise him with their insights and designs, Lavin says. "Jewelry making has a loyal following," he says, adding that "there's a lot to be said for a university that has offerings like this."
"Everybody loves jewelry," Lavin says, so learning how to make jewelry is a great foundation for starting a small business - for instance, an independent jewelry shop that sells custom work. Such a shop, Lavin says, is "a cornerstone of Main Street America." 

Many of his students go on to start their own businesses, or they can design for jewelry shops and work for other people. One of his graduates works at Derek Simpson Goldsmith in New Haven, while another runs her own jewelry-making business and, Lavin says, is doing well at it, getting her work into craft shows and featured in magazines. Some students go on to graduate school, to earn M.F.A. degrees in jewelry and metals.

Lavin earned a B.S. in studio art from Skidmore College and an M.F.A. in jewelry/metalsmithing from Bowling Green State University. He thinks of himself as more of a metalsmith than a jeweler; some of his work can be seen on his Web site at www.terrencelavin.com.