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Poetter Hall was purchased by the SCAD founders in March 1979. Classes began in September of that year.  
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Class in the Spotlight

Metals and jewelry students shine in trade show setting
Metals Class
Photo by Dennis Burnett
Metals and jewelry student Kristi Jilson (right) discusses her work with (from left) professor P.J. Chen and classmates Emily Hodges, Ida Tate and Yu-Ling Tseng during a class critique Feb. 19.
By Monique Bos
Published: Thursday, February 22, 2007
 
For the fourth year in a row, the Savannah College of Art and Design metals and jewelry department has been invited to participate in the Southern Jewelers Trade Association’s Atlanta Jewelry Show. The event, to be held Feb. 24-26 at the Cobb County Galleria, has been the focus of professor P.J. Chen’s Studio Design and Jewelry Practice course this quarter.

“We’re very honored to be invited,” said Chen, who explained that SCAD is the only college included the event.

“The STJA donates a 20-by-20-foot booth space in the center of the trade show floor to the department,” said chair Kim Tatalick. “Faculty jury student and alumni work to be included in the booth.”

The show provides an important chance for jewelry professionals to see students’ work.

“SJTA puts the students directly in contact with manufacturers and retailers,” said Chen. “People hire our students for jobs. Our students are very talented, and our booth is very different.”

Not only does the event serve as a networking opportunity, but students also may win prizes and interact with leading designers.

“The SJTA sponsors a student competition, and monetary prizes are awarded in four different categories — gold and platinum, silver, alternative materials and high-tech design,” said Tatalick. “The show organizers also sponsor visiting artists for the students to meet. This year’s visiting artist will be Anthony Nak, [the team of Nak Armstrong and Anthony Camargo,] who are the ‘it’ guys of fine jewelry. They designed the inaugural jewelry for the Bush twins and won a CFDA award.”

Chen’s class met for the last time before SJTA Feb. 19. Students learned which of their pieces had been accepted for the exhibition, and received critiques and last-minute suggestions from Chen and their peers.

Kristi Jilson dipped strands of monofilament into various colors of resin and wove them into conical shapes, which she embellished with gemstones, to create earrings, a necklace and a ring.

“My concept relates to how color functions when form and light are changed,” she explained.

Classmate Andrea Stacey said she originally planned to use silver in her necklace, earrings and brooch, but she opted for aluminum instead because it’s a heavier material. Her designs were colored in shades of red, orange and yellow, and she and Chen discussed whether or not she should add some blue pieces to the collection.

Each student has to make 10 of whatever items of theirs have been chosen for the exhibition, so they have products to sell to interested retailers. In addition, Chen charged them with developing marketing materials, including business cards and packaging, that employ a style and theme consistent with their jewelry.

For example, Stacey created a logo for her card that matched the twisting, ribbonlike designs of her jewelry. Classmate Ida Tate discussed using gold boxes for packaging and embossed, gold text on her business cards. Yu-Ling Tseng showed packaging that resembled small Chinese takeout boxes and contained rice paper as packing material. Emily Hodges asked for opinions from Chen and her classmates about whether to mirror a tree design on the front and back of her business card.

For the students, SJTA will serve as an introduction to many of the aspects of exhibiting at trade shows.

“They’re expected to help set up and represent the department at the booth,” said Chen. “We’ll also have a class session there, which will be a lecture about how to price work.”

The department’s invitations to return year after year attest to the splash SCAD makes at the show.

“We get a lot of compliments from manufacturers; they enjoy having us every year,” said Chen. “They’re very supportive.”

The new, innovative ideas students present “create an opportunity for manufacturers to brainstorm,” she said. “I think we kind of give them some fresh air.”

She emphasized that the metals and jewelry program at SCAD provides students with a thorough and versatile set of skills and knowledge.

“We focus on a combination of hand-making, hi-tech design and computer knowledge,” Chen said. “We encourage students to work with mixed media — metals, wood, plastic. We teach students how to cut their own stone.”

She said the department strives to continue traditional techniques, such as hand-crafting, but also provides instruction in areas such as computer design and rendering and CAD software to help students find careers.

“All of the curriculum covers areas that can best serve the students,” she said. “I think we have the most faculty members of varied backgrounds and the best facility in the United States.”

The metals and jewelry department is holding an Open Studio Night March 2, 5-7 p.m., coinciding with the college’s gallery hop. Student and alumni work from the SJTA show, as well as other work, will be displayed in the hallway and gallery space at Fahm Hall, 2 N. Fahm St., and the graduate studios, located in Room 106, will be open to visitors. The event is free and open to the public.

  

 
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