This beginning jewelry making class shall use templates made from a hydraulic press along with techniques utilizing hammers and varied tools. Rudolph M. Isturis will be the instructor. Students will have a few options of project to complete from pendants to earrings. Sessions will start with a short presentation, and demonstration of days goal(s) before students work on their own projects. 

There will be both sessional and course goals that will cover: safety of grounds/person/tool usage, introduction to preparatory requisites, design and complete a project that utilizes aspects of Northwest Coast Native Design elements. The project will utilize 20 gauge copper plates. Students will practice learned techniques and utilize all the tools needed to create an end project that is personally enriching and has required Northwest Coast Native formline/elements.  

About the Instructor

Rudy M Isturis, Jr, is a Tlingit artist born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. He is a Raven of the Dog Salmon clan and the Dipper House.  Rudy practices subsistence living and enjoys foraging in the forests of Southeast Alaska for supplies to be used in traditional food, art, and medicines. Rudy worked closely with highly regarded Tlingit artists Rick and Mick Beasley and was heavily influenced by his grandmother Bessie Vissaya.  He works in a wide array of materials including silver, copper, ivory, and lapidary.  Rudy strives to create items “that speak of Alaska’s beauty, history, inspirational settings, nature, and peoples.” Coupling his Native ancestry with his love of nature, Rudy aims to honor the spirit in all things.