Western Michigan University - Frostic School of Art

Western Michigan University is a national research university enrolling nearly 25,000 students from across the United States and more than 100 other countries. Founded in 1903, it is a learner-centered, discovery-driven and globally engaged public university that stands out among America's more than 5,000 higher education institutions.

WMU combines the resources of a major research university with the personal attention and friendly atmosphere often found at a small college. Taking full advantage of that combination gives students the edge they need to succeed in graduate school, the workplace and life.

Students attending WMU enjoy top-notch programs, teachers, facilities and hands-on learning opportunities. They expect and receive one-on-one attention from senior-level faculty members and quickly find that advisors, career specialists, mentors and tutors are within easy reach. In addition, most classes are relatively small in size and taught by the University's full-time professors.

Faculty members have been trained at the world's leading universities and bring a global perspective to the classroom. A majority of these scholars have a passion for research as well as teaching. They not only share their cutting-edge work in the classroom, but also welcome undergraduate and graduate students alike into their research laboratories and creative studios.


The metals/jewelry program is an exploration of the materials and technical processes necessary to produce jewelry and other forms of adornment, functional objects, or larger sculptural works in metal. The overall emphasis is placed on the formation of ideas and concepts.  In specialized studios with state-of-the-art ventilation systems, students focus on practical and professional issues that concern practicing artists.

The metals/jewelry program offers a thorough exploration of technical processes that can apply to jewelry or sculptural works. While the overall program emphasis is placed on ideation, the courses are also structured to encourage students to pursue materials and technical processes inherent in working with non-ferrous metals. The beginning metals/jewelry courses have a significant amount of demonstrations; slide lectures and discussions on readings that address specific technical practice, and theoretical concerns to making. As the student moves through the program, they develop individual coherent bodies of work and possess a solid technical skillset.
 

Teachers

Recent Visiting Artists in Metals/Jewelry:
Ruudt Peters, Yevgeniya Kagonovich, Tina Rath, Suzanne Beautymann, Sharon Massey, Donald Friedlich, Robert Ebendorf