About Winter Workshop
Students come from around the country and around the world to participate in Winter Workshop. This program began in 1997 and has been hosted by the Northeast Chapter of the Florida Society of Goldsmiths since then. Its home has been the inspiring Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
For one week in January, prominent artist/teachers and their students form a bond as a community that inspires, instructs, nurtures, and guides each other as they come together to celebrate the art of metal. The synergy is unparalleled.
The program begins with dinner on Sunday night after check in -- in fact, all meals from Sunday night through and including Saturday morning is included in the tuition. This allows every student the opportunity to connect with classmates and instructors in a casual setting over a meal. Those students who stay on campus never have to get in their car for the entire week if they choose. The instructors are introduced and each does a short program on their work that not only leaves the audience awestruck but often gives us a glimpse into their artistic soul.
Classes begin at 9:00 am and continue until lunch at noon, pick up again at 1:00 and run until 4:00. Students may continue to work until dinner around 6:00 and the studios reopen in the evening around 7:30 and stay open as late as 11:00 pm as long as two students are working in the studio.
During the week, there are silent auctions and on Wednesday night, a live auction. Students and instructors are encouraged to bring a donation (or two or three!) -- books and anything jewelry-related, especially tools, are popular items. If you have duplicates of a favorite book, hammer, etc., please consider making one a donation. Instructors often offer a sample made in class or autographed book or tool. Two of our recent most heavily bid instructor donations included private instruction with Andrea Kennington (NC Black tools) at her studio and a home-cooked Chinese dinner for up to six people by jewelry icon Mary Lee Hu in her home - now where can you find auction items as personal as that! There's no limit to the excitement when everybody participates.
At the close of class on Friday, all students pitch in to pack up and put the studios to bed -- and then share dinner together and enjoy our Wrap Party with show & tell and show & sell -- in the company of the friends they've made during the week. Most of our attendees come back year after year making it a New Year tradition for good reason.
Winter Workshop - it's an experience not to be missed!
For one week in January, prominent artist/teachers and their students form a bond as a community that inspires, instructs, nurtures, and guides each other as they come together to celebrate the art of metal. The synergy is unparalleled.
The program begins with dinner on Sunday night after check in -- in fact, all meals from Sunday night through and including Saturday morning is included in the tuition. This allows every student the opportunity to connect with classmates and instructors in a casual setting over a meal. Those students who stay on campus never have to get in their car for the entire week if they choose. The instructors are introduced and each does a short program on their work that not only leaves the audience awestruck but often gives us a glimpse into their artistic soul.
Classes begin at 9:00 am and continue until lunch at noon, pick up again at 1:00 and run until 4:00. Students may continue to work until dinner around 6:00 and the studios reopen in the evening around 7:30 and stay open as late as 11:00 pm as long as two students are working in the studio.
During the week, there are silent auctions and on Wednesday night, a live auction. Students and instructors are encouraged to bring a donation (or two or three!) -- books and anything jewelry-related, especially tools, are popular items. If you have duplicates of a favorite book, hammer, etc., please consider making one a donation. Instructors often offer a sample made in class or autographed book or tool. Two of our recent most heavily bid instructor donations included private instruction with Andrea Kennington (NC Black tools) at her studio and a home-cooked Chinese dinner for up to six people by jewelry icon Mary Lee Hu in her home - now where can you find auction items as personal as that! There's no limit to the excitement when everybody participates.
At the close of class on Friday, all students pitch in to pack up and put the studios to bed -- and then share dinner together and enjoy our Wrap Party with show & tell and show & sell -- in the company of the friends they've made during the week. Most of our attendees come back year after year making it a New Year tradition for good reason.
Winter Workshop - it's an experience not to be missed!