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Copper lobster

Andrew Mears
Metals student Andrew Mears, with the copper lobster he made in the sixth-session chasing and repoussé class taught by Richard Elaver and Hiroko Yamada. Andrew is an MFA candidate in blacksmithing at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, however this was his first experience with chasing and repoussé. He made a small piece on the first day and then saw a lobster like this one in a book that Hiroko had about Japanese articulated metal animals. Hiroko found a pattern for him to work from, and Andrew spent the rest of the session making this remarkable piece.

copper lobster

Here’s the lobster at show-and-tell on a table with other work from the class. Although he was able to finish it at Penland, Andrew is planning to redo the legs when he gets home, so he can add texture to them.

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Pierce Freelon: Under the Tent

One of the highlights of this year’s benefit auction was spoken-word artist Pierce Freelon’s performance of his poetry about craft and education, specially commissioned for the event. Here are some videos:

Glass Flowers:

 

African Seamstress:

 

Throw:

 

You can click here to read an interview we did with Pierce earlier this summer, and here to watch a video of another of his pieces on our Facebook page.

Thanks, Pierce. You were fantastic.