Virtual Artist Talk: Metalworking Beyond Borders With Karen Smith

Virtual Artist Talk: Metalworking Beyond Borders With Karen Smith

Please join us this Friday for a virtual artist talk with Oakland artist, Karen Smith. We’ll discuss her philosophy on art-making, how it influences her artistry and metalwork, and why she founded We Wield The Hammer, a program that teaches metalsmithing to young women and girls of African descent who might not otherwise have access or opportunity.

This event is part of a series of virtual artist talks The Crucible will be hosting during our Covid-19 related closure. Please check back for information on future talks!

Missed The Talk? Watch It Now

Meet The Artist:

Karen Smith designs, fabricates and makes customized wearable art and small sculpture in her studio in Oakland, CA. Her primary mediums are sterling and fine silver, though she also works with white and yellow and high quality gemstones.

Karen’s work can be minimalist or maximalist—elements of her Buddhist practice can be seen in her ZenSpin ring, her cultural heritage as African-American informs her mud cloth inspired pieces and masks. She often says her work is informed and infused by her woman-self, her black-self, her Buddhist self, and her aging self. The circles, curves, and textures throughout her work represent the power, light, and the feminine.

Karen is a self-taught artist, but recently studied with a master goldsmith in Dakar, Senegal. She is a passionate arts educator and has created a program to teach this artistry to young women and girls of African descent who might not otherwise have access or opportunity. Inspired by her time in West Africa and the isolation of being the only woman metalsmith around, she started the program, We Wield the Hammer, in 2019 in Oakland and is headed to Dakar, where the saying goes “women don’t wield the hammer.”

Enjoy future artist talks as a Crucible member.

Crucible members traditionally receive complimentary or discounted tickets for Artist Talks throughout the year. During this time of isolation, The Crucible is making all Virtual Artist Talks available to everyone in our community, so that regardless of a person’s financial situation, we can all gather in celebration of something we all love—the arts.

If you are able to help The Crucible stay afloat during our Covid-19 related closure, you can support us by becoming a member, purchasing a Crucible gift certificate, and making a donation.

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