Goldsmithing, pure and perfectly executed, is a uniquely extraordinary thing. An object wrought in high karat gold is the tangible evidence of centuries of knowledge and skill accumulated and passed on by a long lineage of makers. Aaron Macsai is one of those makers. His work, at once strong, muscular and sensitively made, is proof that the art of goldsmithing is still vital and relevant.

A true smith, he alloys his own blends of high karat golds to achieve subtle shadings that accentuate the forms that densely populate his work. He creates concentrated worlds, timeless and visually consuming. Macsai has been supporting himself as a working artist since earning his BFA from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1978. His work has been shown extensively at venues that include the American Craft Exposition in Chicago, the American Craft Council San Francisco Show and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

Not quite soldering and not quite fusing, granulation permanently bonds tiny metal spheres or elements to a larger form to create patterns and luscious surfaces. Most often seen in high karat golds and fine metals, this ancient process was lost for some time before being rediscovered in the 20th century. There are several acknowledged modern masters of this technique but there is one maker who has taken granulation to a new place and with a new material entirely. The material is stainless steel and the maker is Ben Dory.

Originally from Kansas City, Ben Dory earned his MFA from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2014. Ben recently completed three years as the Artist-in-Residence in Metals at the University of Arkansas Little Rock and now works from his studio in Savannah, GA.

Hope and Humanity. Two words whose relationship is sometimes strained. But Beatriz Cortez sees possibilities and alternative futures beyond the static ideas and definitions that we often cling to. By investigating and engaging with indigenous knowledge and spirituality and with first-hand knowledge of an immigrant’s experience, Cortez uses her work as a vehicle to recontextualize our understanding of the past-- and the present-- and reimagine what might one day be. In her world, the pathways and trauma of immigration are not limited to the human but include the nonhuman cohabitants of our planet. In imagining one of many possible futures, Cortez asks, “Will plants remember humans when we’re gone?”. Her welded, formed and richly surfaced sculpture and installations move across time, unattached to a specific instance or place yet referent to a wide and varied bank of source material.

Beatriz Cortez holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts, and MA’s in Literature and Studio Art. She has a PhD in literature and cultural studies from Arizona State University and has taught Central American and transborder studies since 2000 at California State, Northridge.

What do you call a man who is an ace bench jeweler, a CAD designer, a tool inventor, an educator, a woodworker, a cook, a gardener, and a metalsmith fluent in diverse materials like concrete and plastic? A Renaissance Man? Sure. Michael Nashef? Absolutely.

Born in war-torn Lebanon, Michael moved to the United States in 1998, where he earned his M.F.A in Metals/Jewelry Design from Bowling Green State University and later launched his fine jewelry and bridal company Intersecting Hearts. He is the inventor and manufacturer of the KONOS bur holder and the KERF saw blade organizer, among other products. He has worked as the area coordinator and lecturer at Towson University in Maryland, and as an instructor at Western Michigan University. Michael’s work can be found in books such as New Bracelets and in the collection of the MAD Museum.

When the pandemic hit, Dana Cassara quickly understood that the threat posed went beyond the physical. Community, the scaffold of society, was in trouble as well. So she did what she does best: Build new communities to shore up the ones we couldn’t tend to in person. Enter The Battle of the Rings and Jewelry Trivia Night. Born of adversity these became virtual spaces in which to gather, communicate and debate. Something solid in roiling and uncertain waters.

Dana Cassara built Danaca Design Studio from a tiny basement classroom into a thriving school and group workspace. A community of makers. Danaca brings instructors to Seattle from around the country and hosts exhibitions and events at the satellite gallery. A past president of the Seattle Metals Guild, Dana has been a core member of our Northwest metals community for years.