Cold Metal!

Kerry Pinkerton's three-day visiting artist gig was a great success. A bunch of folks showed up for the Tuesday evening lecture and stayed late to talk metal shaping and tool making. Kerry has so much to share and his willingness to spend time with folks really impressed the students.

 The next two days were filled with lots of cool techniques and tricks. Several of the students as well as James and Chris really kept Kerry busy and it was a pleasure to see all the creative activity going on in the shop. I think we have several budding metal shapers and over the next year or so will work to build our tool box so we can have Kerry back again for a proper Metal Shaping 101 class.

The New Semester Shaping Up

In less than a month we will be back at work for the fall 2011 semester. It will be a busy year. The Department had an extraordinary number of faculty losses due to retirements and budget cuts over the last year and we have finally received permission to look for several new one-year visiting  positions; art history, two in graphic design, a museum director, and foundations. I think most are taken care of and soon the foundations position will be decided. A few of these positions will go tenure-track next year. That means in the fall and spring the faculty will be busy with positions searches. Lots of work but this is very good for the department. 


We are still having lots of new students coming into the department in general and this means very full classes. I think both the beginning classes in ceramics and sculpture are closed. A seat opens up every now and again but is filled pretty much within an hour. Most of the foundation courses are over full and it doesn't look like any new sections will be added. Crazy times!


Over here in sculpture we have some exciting plans for the semester. The best is a new piece of equipment we are getting for the metal shop an English wheel from Imperial Wheeling Machines. 

The Crown Imperial

Close up of the anvil.

Our friend Kerry Pinkerton designs and builds them and he is right in the Huntsville, AL area. Not only will he personally deliver it and give James and I some one-on-one lessons, we also have him coming back in early October to do a two-day clinic. Kerry is well know for his work in metal shaping and for his professional instructional DVD Metal Shaping 101. Check back here in a few weeks to hear more about his visit and the events planed for October.