Call for Proposals for 2020 SNAG Conference

SNAG will be headed to Philadelphia, PA, May 20-23, 2020 for “Grit to Gold: Future Fifty.” Above, you can see our newly unveiled 2020 conference logo! 2020’s conference will mark another historic milestone: The 50th anniversary of SNAG’s first conference. We are now accepting presentation proposals for the 2020 conference. Deadline: May 5, 2019. Learn more

Member Achievements – March 2019

Congratulations to Brigitte Martin, SNAG member and former SNAG Board President, for being named as the new Executive Director at the Society of Arts + Crafts in Boston.

Pam Robinson is the recipient of the 2019 SNAG Volunteer Recognition Award. She will be recognized for her service to SNAG at the Membership Meeting at the SNAG conference in Chicago.

Kim Nogueira will be at the Museum of Arts and Design’s upcoming show LOOT: MAD About Jewelry in April 2019 with her enameled jewelry. Kim is from a small Caribbean island and is looking forward to meeting other makers and customers. Other SNAG members at LOOT are Tara Locklear and Brooke Marks-Swanson.

Nineteen SNAG members are included in the exhibition The Art of Metalsmithing Exposed at Artlink Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN, May 17-June 21, 2019. Betty Helen Longhi, Cynthia Eid, David Barnhill, Carol Warner, Alison Antelman, Cyd Rowley, David Huang, Harlan W. Butt, Ana M. Lopez, Michael B. Hays, Ruth Laug, Steve Shelby, Logan Woodle, Randy Stromsoe, Jack da Silva, Julie Sanford, Genevieve E. Flynn, Di-Ann Pitts Hand, and Tom Muir.

Wesley Harris met with Canadian silversmith Lois Etherington Betteridge last fall. Lois and her husband, Keith, visited Wesley’s Mentor & Metalsmith exhibit when it was on display at the Wellington County Museum & Archives near Fergus, Ontario. This photo captured the moment.

SNAG would like to take this opportunity to recognize our Corporate Members for their support: Gemological Institute of America, Halstead, and Steven Jacob, Inc.

2019 SNAG Lifetime Achievement Award, James Wallace

SNAG’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is James Wallace.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is SNAG’s highest honor and is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of metalsmithing.

James Wallace is a practicing metalsmith and former Founding Director of the Metal Museum, formerly known as the National Ornamental Metals Museum. His contributions to the field of contemporary crafts both as a maker in high regard and as a museum professional have advanced the understanding and appreciation of metalwork and metalsmiths for over 30 years.

Having received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Western State College of Colorado with emphases in Art, English and Geology, he later began his artistic career as an MFA candidate at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. During his studies, he researched pattern welded damascus steel. This research was published in a chapter written for Dona Meilach’s 1977 book Decorative and Sculptural Ironwork. His Master of Fine Arts degree led to a career that produced stunning examples of architectural ironwork.

Jim Wallace dedicated his professional career to the advancement of the field of metalsmithing through his role as artist, teacher, mentor and advocate. But it was in his role as founder and director of the Metal Museum that his vision played such an important part in the evolution of our field. Through his decades of selfless toil and perseverance, Jim built from scratch the only U.S. museum of its kind focused exclusively on metalwork. Through his grit and personal sacrifice, the museum has grown to a world-class institution with exhibitions, collections, a library and research facility, foundry facilities, conservation and educational programs. Because of Jim’s vision, the museum expands opportunities for young metalsmiths through internships, residencies and apprenticeships; it preserves the history of metalsmithing and educates the public about metalsmithing as an art form. In this way, Jim’s contributions have reached the broadest spectrum of our artistic “metals” community and beyond. His contributions have impacted every sub-discipline of our broader field – from blacksmiths to art jewelers, from students to masters, from makers to collectors to writers, researchers, and so on.

– Lifetime Achievement Committee

The 2019 SNAG conference, to be held in Chicago, will be dedicated to James. He will be given his award at the opening of the conference on May 23rd. Please join us in congratulating him.

above image: Fireplace Stand by James Wallace