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Class in the Spotlight
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Metals and jewelry course is riveting
 Photo by Charlie Ribbens Students in Introduction to Metals and Jewelry take notes as professor Bonnie Kubasta describes the riveting process Jan. 25. By Monique Bos Published: Friday, February 15, 2008 Bonnie Kubasta, a metals and jewelry professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, gathered her Introduction to Metals and Jewelry students for a demonstration Jan. 25 in Fahm Hall. “I’m going to demonstrate how to create a cold connection, which is any kind of mechanical connection that doesn’t require soldering,” she explained to the students, who were working on bracelets. Cold connections are useful for any material that can’t be heated, such as leather, plastic, paper or wood. “You’ll be making your own rivets,” she explained. “They can be decorative and aesthetic, as well as mechanical.” She passed out a handout on rivets and drew diagrams on a dry-erase board to illustrate how various types of rivets work. “I do a lot with cross-sections to show rivets and how they actually function,” she explained. “Rivets are really useful. If you have a good understanding of the mechanics, you can make them do all sorts of things.” Kubasta demonstrated for the students how to drill a hole to place the rivet, discussed which type of hammer to use and cautioned them about mistakes to avoid, such as cutting the wire too large. She showed them different techniques for drilling rivet holes on straight planes and curved surfaces. As Kubasta worked, she asked students the names of various tools she used, from different hammers to a center punch, mandrill and drill plate. A quiz about tools was scheduled for the following week. She engaged students in the demonstration by asking how they would solve various problems, such as how to keep a small object stationary while drilling. She also pointed out to students the safety precautions she took. “I’m going to remove my scarf because I’m using a rotating drill,” she said. “I’m wearing safety glasses, and I have my hair tied back.” In fact, safety practices are one of the essential lessons of the introductory courses, she said. “For all of the assignments, students use basic studio skills. They learn how to drill, saw, file, use simple forms and put a patina on,” Kubasta explained. “We discuss the different physical characteristics of various types of metal, and they learn safe practices for using tools and working in the studio.” She enjoys watching students learn new skills and discover their own abilities, she said. “Intro I is my favorite class to teach because the students come in knowing so little, and when they look at their work during the final critique, you can see they’re so proud of their accomplishments. It’s very empowering,” Kubasta explained. “It’s kind of a risk they take, and they end up feeling really good about what they can do. That carries over into whatever they major in; when students start investing in their own education, real risk taking isn’t always scary, and they can be successful. Then they will try more and more challenging projects in other classes.” Throughout the quarter, she allows students leeway in how they interpret assignments and experiment with forms. “Because it’s so important in terms of basic skills, I open up the assignments so the creative part is what they can revel in,” she explained. “All the faculty in the department try to encourage students’ individual, unique visions … I think students [in metals and jewelry] are really encouraged to take a chance.” After the students complete their bracelets, Kubasta said she plans to discuss the broad, historical context for metals and jewelry work. “After this project, we’ll talk about adornment through history and why cultures have developed such a variety of adornments. We talk about body painting, scarification, tattoos, disfigurement and body modification. The students really get into that,” she said. “Jewelry has a very intimate relationship with the person who’s wearing it; it’s about identity … A lot of the students are interested in designing art jewelry, so there’s more of a fine-arts bent, and we address those kinds of issues. We have a very rich tradition, not just in jewelry but also in metal work through the last 20,000 years.” And, like many other faculty members, Kubasta said her own learning process continues with every course she teaches. “Inevitably, someone will come up with something I’d never thought of,” she said. “We always have a good time.” The metals and jewelry department will host the Society of North American Goldsmiths conference March 5-8.  |
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