We’re bringing Touchstone to you! Demonstrations, campus and studio tours, artist talks, exhibitions, and more!
Return of the Artist Happy Hour: Gerald Brown will be sharing about her work and involvement in many different arts organizations. Join in the conversation with Gerald and Stacy Larson as they talk about outreach within and beyond her community.
Gerald A. Brown is a Chicago Southside native, currently based in Philadelphia, PA. She received her BFA from Syracuse University, double emphasis in Sculpture and Ceramics. Gerald is a current member of the art collective Vox Populi, curating shows and special programming. In addition, she is a teaching artist assistant with The Clay Studio’s Clay Mobile outreach program, one of the Board of Directors at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts and co-founder of the Clay Siblings’ Project, a non-profit initiative providing free ceramic workshops around the country.
Be sure to check out her website at geraldbrownart.com
Instagram: @geraldbrownart
Photo credit: Jesse Defrancesco
Artist Statement
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM (Eastern); July and September
Throughout the summer, we’ll be checking in to the studios to see what our Interns are working on.
From Tuesday, September 1
7:00 PM (Eastern)
Jessica is a metalsmith who recently graduated from Tennessee Tech University’s Appalachian Center for Craft. She gives a live demonstration from the Metals & Jewelry Studio.
Watch the recording
From Tuesday, September 8
7:00 PM (Eastern)
Meghan Burke gives a live hanbuilding demonstration from the Ceramics Studio. Meg is a New Jersey transplant now living in Pittsburgh.
Watch the recording
From Tuesday, September 15
7:00 PM (Eastern)
Julia is a ceramic artist and a fine art painter from Bucks County, PA. In this demo, she demonstrates wheel throwing and painting on ceramics.
Watch the recording
From Tuesday, July 14
7:00 PM (Eastern)
Ceramic artist, Taylor Mezo demonstrates jewelry making techniques using clay, different jewelry findings, and how to assemble the pieces once they’ve been fired.
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From Tuesday, July 21
Metalsmith, Taylor Fentz demonstrates some of the processes and techniques she uses to create unique one of a kind jewelry pieces.
Watch the recording
From Tuesday, July 28
Blacksmith, Makena Henriksen demonstrates forging a gate latch live from the Hart Moore Blacksmithing Studio.
Watch the recording
If you would like to give to Touchstone in support of these programs, please consider a donation. Because of you, we’re able to continue the great work that we do. Click to Donate Now
Thursday, July 23 at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Metalsmith, Marlene True will be joining us to share about her work and studio practice. Marlene is an obsessive collector of tin cans and other ephemera with the intent of repurposing. Marlene earned her MFA at East Carolina University and her BFA at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She is the Executive Director of Pocosin Arts School of Fine Craft in Columbia, NC.
Website: marlenetrue.com
Instagram: @marlenetrue
Watch the recording…
Thursday, July 16 at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Mixed media artist, Travis Townsend joins us to share about his work and studio practice. Travis draws, builds, rebuilds, paints, and tinkers upon wood and mixed media sculptures in his Lexington, Kentucky studio. His process-oriented works evolve from sketches and travel through many transformations before being cut apart, reassembled, and reworked (sometimes many years later).
Website: travistownsendart.com
Instagram: @travistownsendart
Watch the recording…
Thursday, July 9 at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
In this week’s Happy Hour, we sit down with Maia Leppo to talk about her work and studio practice. Maia is a jewelry artist who lives in Pittsburgh and works out of her studio at the Brew House Association on the Southside. She works mostly with steel and incorporates ceramics, found objects, and some unconventional materials in her work.
Website: maialeppo.com
Instagram: @maialeppo
Watch the recording…
Thursday, June 25th at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Kelly and Kyle Phelps create high relief figurative ceramic narratives influenced by their blue-collar background. The use of the figure can be the perfect vehicle to talk about topics like race, class, politics, environment, religion, sexuality, gender, poverty, war, and other issues of our time.
The identical twin brothers grew up in a blue-collar/factory environment in Indiana where they were inspired by the working class. They work together to combine hand crafted figurative works with found objects from actual factory sites to create narratives that depict the everyday struggles of the common men and women who worked in various manufacturing plants, steel mills, and foundries.
Click to read more about Kelly and Kyle (from Ceramics Monthly, 2016)
Follow Kyle and Kelly on Instagram: @kelly_and_kyle_phelps
Watch the recording…
Friday, June 19th at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Jordan LaMothe joins us from his shop in Hebron, NY to talk about his journey to becoming a bladesmith, his passion for making all manner of fine knives, daggers, and swords; from sturdy, utilitarian blades to luxury collector’s pieces.
Jordan currently holds the Journeyman Smith ranking in the American Bladesmith Society. He was a champion on The History Channel’s ‘Forged in Fire.’
Click to Learn More about Jordan
Follow Jordan on Instagram: @jordanlamotheblades
Due to technical difficulties, this recording will not be available.
Friday, June 12th at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Michael is a jewelry designer from Portage, MI. He is an instructor at Kalamazoo Institute of Art and also on Touchstone’s board of directors.
Watch the recording…
Friday, May 29th at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Touchstone’s executive director, Lindsay Ketterer Gates, shares her work and talks about the wire looping technique. Lindsay is an arts administrator and studio artist whose work is exhibited internationally. She is on the board of the Fiber Artists Guild of Pittsburgh and vice president of the National Basketry Organization.
Click to Learn More about Lindsay
Watch the recording…
Friday, May 1st at 7:00 PM (Eastern)
Touchstone’s Programs Manager, Travis Winters, offers a glimpse inside his home studio, see what he’s been working on, and hear him talk about themes and stories behind his work!
Watch the recording…
If you would like to give to Touchstone in support of these programs, please consider a donation. Because of you, we’re able to continue the great work that we do. Click to Donate Now