The Metalsmithing curriculum is designed to meet the diverse interests of the students investigating the contemporary metals, jewelry, and sculpture fields.
METALSMITHING/SCULPTURE
The Metalsmithing/Sculpture Major at NMU
The Metalsmithing curriculum is designed to meet the diverse interests of the students investigating the contemporary metals field. The Sculpture curriculum is concerned with materializing an idea utilizing any material or process in any method or combination of methods. The studio is equipped for general fabrication, gas/ oxygen and gas/ compressed air soldering, raising and forming sheet metal, production casting, mold making, forging, blacksmithing, welding and fabrication, and foundry casting.
The Metalsmithing/Sculpture Major Focuses on a Broad Spectrum of Methodologies
Click to Learn MoreMetalsmithing/Sculpture Studios
The studio is equipped for theprocesses of:
General fabrication
Gas/ Oxygen and gas/
compressed air soldering
Raising and forming sheet metal
Production casting
and mold making
Forging
Blacksmithing
Welding and fabrication
Foundry casting
The Metals/Sculpture Studios are Equipped for Working with both Large & Small Scale Projects
Click to Learn MoreMetalsmithing/Sculpture Faculty
click to open/close
Dale Wedig
Professor
BS Univ of Wisconsin at LaCrosse
MA Iowa State University
MFA Arizona State University
Dale Wedig is a Professor of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University where he as been the Head of the Metalsmithing and Sculpture departments for 27 years. His studio work ranges in size from jewelry to architectural installations and assumes metal processes from blacksmithing, welding, casting, sheet-forming, fabrication and foundry applications. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States. Wedig works out of his Upper Peninsula home surrounded by trees, lakes, rivers and ice most of the year. It is important to keep busy doing whatever it is that your hands find to do; life without labor is guilt.
Art is the physical and mental labor involved in creating an object from an idea. The end result can be very satisfying. However, it is the activity and struggle throughout the process that is inspiring. Experiencing an idea becoming a real object that started in your head and your hands built is a measure of the accountability of your life.
The lack of rules and insured success combined with the endless solutions to the same problem motivates him to continue pursuing his interests. Making art is no more or less than having faith in what is unknown and having the desire to take the opportunity to create something you find difficult to explain.
Metalsmithing/Sculpture Courses
click to open/closeAD 216 Sculpture: Foundations
4 credit hours
Offered: Fall
An introduction to methods of synthesizing form in the production of sculpture. Process, techniques, design and composition will be emphasized in assigned projects throughout the semester. Mixed media.
AD 223 Jewelry/Metalsmithing: Foundations
4 credit hoursOffered: Fall, Winter
An introduction to the skills required to fabricate jewelry and small metal objects. Traditional techniques of sawing, soldering, hammering, texturing, and casting will be presented. Students will design and fabricate assignments from sheet and wire copper, brass, and nickel silver. All materials and tools are provided in the studio.
AD 323A Production Casting and Mold Making
4 credit hours
Offered: Fall, odd numbered years.
Prerequisite: AD 101 or AD 209 or AD 210 or AD 222 or AD 223 or AD 224, or instructor permission.
Production casting and mold making for small metal outcomes: jewelry/sculpture. Individualized research of centrifugal, vacuum and gravity casting in combination with room temperature and vulcanized rubber molds.
AD 323B Sheet Metal Forming
4 credit hours
Offered: Winter, odd numbered years
Prerequisite: AD 101 or AD 209 or AD 210 or AD 222 or AD 223 or AD 224, or instructor permission.
This course introduces sheet metal forming techniques including raising, sinking, folding and fabrication. Each student will produce a portfolio of finished works utilizing these techniques.
AD 323C Blacksmithing
4 credit hours
Offered: Winter
Prerequisite: AD 101 or AD 209 or AD 210 or AD 222 or AD 223 or AD 224, or instructor permission.
Development of skills and knowledge of basic blacksmithing in the production of utilitarian and non-utilitarian forged objects. Beginning through advanced techniques of forging hot steel are presented.
AD 323D Foundry Bronze and Aluminum Casting
4 credit hours.
Offered: Winter, even numbered years
Prerequisite: AD 101 or AD 209 or AD 210 or AD 222 or AD 223 or AD 224; or instructor permission.
Development of skills and concepts in the production of sculpture using the techniques of foundry style investment bronze and aluminum casting. Concentration is focused on learning various methods of casting, mold preparation, venting, gating and investing for gravity pour procedures. Students will also learn the operation of the kiln, furnace, and pouring procedures.
Metalsmithing/Sculpture FAQ
click to open/closeI am an art and design major but not sure of declaring my area of concentration as metalsmithing because I have little or no experience. What should I do?
Take an entry-level course and see if you are as interested and enthusiastic as you expected to be. Most metalsmithing majors had no hands on experience in a professional studio environment until their first class. It is assumed that you know very little about materials and processes, therefore we start with foundation information and build upon that each semester.
Do I need to have my own tools for each class offering?
NO. In many course offerings you check out a tool kit at the beginning of the semester that will assist you in our studio or take it home to your own. In other courses students check out tools on a need basis for an hour or a full day from an office open whenever the building is open for studio work.
We try to provide all tools and equipment necessary to fulfill the assignments - you are not required to purchase tools or equipment throughout your undergraduate study.You can expect to purchase consumables such as drill bits, rotary abrasives, burrs, and polishing accessories.
What jobs will I locate in my fields upon graduating with a metalsmithing concentration?
We stress the importance of acquiring diverse skills throughout your program of study. With refined skills you locate employment in the fields of Jewelry, Blacksmithing, Welding, Production Casting, Foundry and Sheet Metal Fabrication.
We encourage students to learn what you need to know to do what you want to do. You have four years of undergraduate study to acquire skill, attitude and experience you need to succeed.
Many students develop studio artwork and production techniques focused on marketing their products for sale at art fairs, gift shops and galleries.We encourage students to learn what they need to know to do what they want to do. You have four years to acquire the skills, attitude and experience you need to succeed.
Is the metalsmithing concentration too physically demanding or dangerous for an inexperienced student?
You will never know until you try! No one has ever left the program for those reasons if they desired to succeed. To survive as a metalsmithing major you must like to work, be in the studio and be self-motivated. Many processes are labor intensive, however not dangerous or overwhelming. Techniques and safety procedures are thoroughly covered before every assignment.
What is the emphasis in sculpture: welding, foundry, blacksmithing, or carving?
Students are encouraged to take diverse studio courses to obtain a broad understanding of Art Production. Each student is a unique entity with specific interests and strengths. No two students have gone through the program the same way. We emphasize finding your interests and building a program of study to support them.
What is the emphasis in metalsmithing: Jewelry Making, Blacksmithing, or Hollowware?
Students are required to take courses in a diverse spectrum of metalsmithing technologies. Having a broad understanding of foundation metal courses prepares students with unique problem solving techniques. Throughout four years of study you will gather new information on materials and properties that will effect your studio production. All students experience the same courses but choose to explore specific areas to meet their interest. Everyone blends the information differently and takes on an identity or focus unique to the individual.
On an average, how many majors are in the metalsmithing program?
The number varies from a low of 12 to a high of 25. Any year could be somewhere in between. My upper level class has 10-15 students each semester allowing for plenty of one on one contact time. The studios are open a minimum of 80 hours a week outside of class to work on assignments.
Are the materials I am required to work with expensive?
Silver and gold are expensive!!! However, you are not required to work with them. All work can be constructed from metal other than silver and gold for a fraction of the cost and an equal learning experience.
What is sculpture?
Sculpture is an idea that identifies a given space.
Are there scholarships for incoming freshman?
The school offers the High School Freshman Scholarship (four $1000 awards) that is available each year with applications due in April.
See the web for details
Scholarship Information
More Questions?
Please write Professor Dale Wedig dwedig@nmu.edu
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