The Found Object Brooch Workshop: Technique and Wit in a Weekend at the Center for Metal Arts

WARWICK, N.Y. - March 22, 2016 - PRLog -- Visitiing Artist Joshua Kosker teaches Found, Framed and Fastened: The Brooch at the Center for Metal Arts in downstate NY. on April 2-3, 2016. This playful weekend workshop invites the student to explore material language through the format of the brooch. Students will investigate how a found object can embody an experience, evoke an emotion, and convey a personal narrative. Equal emphasis is placed on the structural mechanics of the brooch, with inventive mounting solutions for non-traditional materials. Koskar will present intelligent pin back mechanisms to make wearable art, with pin assemblies, catches, and small-scale fabrication techniques, including wireframe construction, forming, creative prong setting, riveting and other cold-connection techniques. Participants are encouraged to come with an imaginative, experimental approach to craft and jewelry making.

Joshua Kosker's practice as a studio artist in Western Pennsylvaniais is rooted in contemporary craft and body adornment. His work has been shown in various national and international exhibitions, including WE ARE SNAG: Contemporary Smiths, Craft Forms 2015 at Wayne Art Center (Wayne, PA), Art Jewelry: Strong Voices at Dedee Shattuck Gallery (Westport, MA), and So Fresh + So Clean: Annual Ethical Metalsmiths International Student Exhibition. A recipient of the Ethical Metalsmiths 2015 Juror's Choice and 2014 Emerging Artist awards, he completed his MFA in Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing from Bowling Green State University and earned a BFA with a concentration in Jewelry & Metals from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Students in Joshua Kosker's  Found, Framed and Fastened: The Brooch workshop intensive are welcome to come with any skill level, from beginner to advanced. This class is part of an ongoing series of workshops in the Small Metals Program at the Center for Metal Arts in the lower Hudson Valley.

The Center for Metal Arts is a teaching center and community of metal artists, makers, and students exploring new skills or mastering advanced techniques in the metal arts. Established in 2003, the Center for Metal Arts attracts resident, regional and international instructors, and the staff includes award-winning blacksmiths and designers, studio techs and support staff. The studio workshop is located in the historic 1890's Icehouse at 44 Jayne Street in the Village of Florida, NY.

Two learning tracks offer beginner to advanced workshops in Small Metals and in Blacksmithing, and the Visiting Artist Program contributes diverse topics and talents to the foundation curriculum. Easy online registration and the full course schedule are at http://www.centerformetalarts.com/small-metals-workshops.....

Located in New York's picturesque Warwick area, the Center for Metal Arts is accessible by bus from NYC, and is near major highways and airports.