Join New Orleans-based jewelry artist and designer Thomas Mann for a unique opportunity to learn critical jewelry-making techniques from a master! This 2-day workshop combines Tom’s Basicz™ curriculum and includes Learn to Saw: De-Mystifying the Jewelers Saw™ and FASTENation™. This workshop will teach you how to use the jewelry saw effectively for a multitude of sawing operations. You will learn cold connection techniques that Tom has been employing in his work for more than thirty years, and encounter his unique perspective on riveting, slots and tabs, and especially his very personal “miniature bolting system™”. You will see demonstrations of these and other innovative cold connection solutions, as well as having several hands-on opportunities to practice using the tools and materials in this informative workshop!
Workshop Details
Friday, October 18th
5 pm – 9 pm
Learn to Saw: De-Mystifying the Jewelers Saw™
Get to know the most diverse tool on your workbench: the jeweler’s saw! You’ll acquire the skill set to create impressive projects and learn:
- The anatomy of the jeweler’s saw and how each part helps improve your sawing success
- The importance of sawing ergonomics and how the proper grip contributes to the “Whole Body Experience”
- Sawing techniques such as starting a cut, turning a corner, piercing and several trouble-shooting tips
You will leave this session with two hand-made mini-slot sculptures and various charms.
Saturday, October 19th
9 am – 5 pm (Lunch offsite):
FASTENation™
FASTENation™ is a FASTENating, inventive, and revelatory 1-day tour of the cold connection techniques Tom has been employing in his work for more than thirty years. Cold connection is a technique that allows you to connect pieces together without the use of heat. This is an important foundation skill for any jewelry maker and excellent for those who don’t have access to a torch.
You’ll encounter his unique perspective on riveting, slots & tabs, and especially his very personal “miniature bolting system™”. You’ll see demonstrations of these and other innovative cold connection solutions as well as having several hands-on opportunities to practice using the tools and materials in this informative workshop. Prepare to be FASTENated!
You will leave this session with a hand-made sculptural pendant or key fob.
Materials
The cost of materials is included in the class fee. All materials are provided by the artist and include:
Saw Kit:
Wood Test
1/8” Plexiglas 3″ x 5″
22g Metal 3″ x 5″
#2/0 Saw Blades
#2 Saw Blades
Instructional Handouts & Templates
Cold Connecting kit:
1/8” Aluminum Blank
Various lengths and dimensions of aluminum and brass tubing
Various colors and sizes of acrylic sheet
Micro Fasteners Kit – screws, washers, bolts, nuts
Nut Driving Tool
Key Ring
Waxed Cotton Cord
Instructional Booklet
About the Artist
Thomas Mann, an icon of the American Craft Jewelry movement and a full-time practicing professional artist for over 50 years, describes himself as an artist working in the medium of jewelry and sculpture. He works with a variety of metals, thinking of them as painters think of their palettes — Each metal having its own color and luster. Inspired by parts from machines, electronic instruments, costume jewelry, and old postcards & photos, Mann’s recurring but always changing parts give his work its storytelling quality and theatricality. He calls this design vocabulary, which combines industrial aesthetics and materials with evocative themes and romantic imagery, “Techno-Romantic.”
Mann has been a featured artist in the Peabody Award-winning PBS television series “Craft in America.” His work is featured in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute’s Renwick Gallery in Washington D.C., as well as the Museum of Art and Design in New York.
Thomas Mann lives and works in Uptown New Orleans where he oversees a jewelry design and production studio, sculpture studio, and gallery.
