Promoting the recognition of metalwork as an art form, the Metal Arts Guild San Francisco offers Bay Area jewelers and metal artists a network of information, education, and support including workshops and classes, access to a resource center of books and reference items, and both juried and non-juried exhibitions. MAG recently won an Editor’s Choice Award for their participation, demos and hands-on workshops (chain-making, crocheting with wire, and a recycled pendant project) in the annual two-day MakerFaire in San Mateo, CA. Alison Antelman, president of MAG’s board, describes the wide variety of resources and opportunities MAG offers to its diverse membership.

Alison, please give us a brief history of your organization.

MAG was founded in 1951 by a small group of artists working in the relatively new field of art jewelry and metal.  Founding members included such pioneers as Margaret de Patta, merry renk, Bob Winston, Peter and Virginia Macchiarini, and Florence Resnikoff.  Today MAG has over 200 members who are professional and emerging artists, educators, students, collectors, and writers.

What sort of metalwork do your members do?

Our members are primarily metal artists creating art jewelry and small-scale sculpture. They include silversmiths, goldsmiths, enamelists, and artists working in alternative/recycled materials.  We would like to attract more members creating large-scale sculpture and blacksmithing.

Do your members live exclusively within the Bay Area?

The majority of our members live in the Bay Area — which is a very large region — and the environs (from Santa Cruz to the south to Eureka in the north). We do have some members who have either moved out of state and chose to maintain their membership, or joined in order to be in our exhibitions or apply for the MAGrant.

What programs and services do you provide for artists?

* MAGrant: a $500 award to a full-time, matriculated student in the metal arts.
* Programs and networking including free lectures and tours, workshops, business seminars, holiday and summer parties with demos, and MAG Metalsmithing Day.
* Exhibitions: all-member shows and national juried exhibitions.
* Community involvement, such as providing workshops to the general public at the annual MakerFaire at the San Mateo Expo Center.
* Resource Center: a library of over 600 books, magazines, DVDs, catalogues, slides, and technical information on metal arts history.
* Custom display case rental: hand-wrought steel display cases with lockable Plexiglas covers and linen-covered inserts available for rent at a reduced fee to any guild member.
* Guildletter: a quarterly newsletter, and monthly e-newsletters listing events and opportunities.
* Exclusive membership discounts to businesses related to the field.
* Our website (www.metalartsguildsf.org) showcases members’ work with a link to members’  own websites, as well as our Permanent Collection - donated work by MAG members of renown.

It seems that metalwork as a craft has a larger number of artists’ guilds than other artistic media. Why is this is the case?

Guilds have been a tradition since Medieval times, when there were all sorts of guilds for various professions. Historically, they were also a part of civic leadership and mandatory for your given profession. Guilds were important to belong to in order to practice your craft with specific qualifications; they also instilled regulations for quality and craftsmanship, and protected workers and consumers. While there have been many, many types of guilds throughout history, this regulatory system seemed to have stuck with metalsmiths. Guilds today provide resources, networking and opportunities for those of a similar field.

What Fractured Atlas benefits does a MAGSF membership provide because of your Open Arts Network participation?

MAG members have access to a free Associate Membership to Fractured Atlas, enabling them to access low-cost health and liability insurance, online education, microgrants, and more.

What is one fact about your organization that you wish was more widely known?

Any interested person can join — you don’t need to be “qualified.” Our membership is open to anyone: from beginner to master craftsperson, students, teachers, production and exhibition artists, metal collectors, and supporters.

When and how do you know that you are succeeding in your mission?

When members excitedly tell me about a recent MAG event or program they attended, and how happy they were to have participated. Also, when there is an open spot on our board, there are always new people ready to step up. We are an all-volunteer organization and I am impressed with the enthusiasm and availability of energetic, motivated volunteers.

Do you have any conferences or workshops coming up?

In 2011, we will celebrate our 60th anniversary, making Metal Arts Guild San Francisco one of the oldest metal guilds in the United States. We will commemorate this hallmark in a one-day symposium on the theme of “Forging Communities.” The symposium will include artist lectures, professional development presentations, and a moderated panel featuring founding and early MAG members. It will be open to anyone who wishes to attend for a small registration fee. Approximately 100-150 attendees are anticipated.

In conjunction with the symposium, MAG plans to organize a few exhibitions to showcase its members. The most comprehensive showcase of members’ work will be a three-fold exhibition entitled “MAG at 60: Past, Present, and Future.” The exhibition will present information about the rich history of the guild and its members’ influence on the American Modernist jewelry movement, and will heighten awareness about contemporary art jewelry and metalwork. To compliment the show and further connect with the community, MAG will conduct an afternoon of hands-on metalworking projects geared toward kids, families, and the public at large. Many MAG members are educators and active in their communities. Past experiences hosting this type of event have been very successful.

The year 2011 in its entirety will be a year of celebration. The year will kick-off with a 60th Birthday Party/MAG Metalsmithing Day party in January. Throughout the year there will be workshops by well known metalsmiths from around the country, a possible campout/summer event, and a glossy, commemorative edition of the Guildletter with features, interviews and historical references.

How can people get involved with MAGSF?

Contact me, Alison Antelman, at mag@antelman.com and I will direct you to the appropriate person, invite you to a board meeting (which always includes a lovingly prepared dinner), and discuss what you’d like to do within the Guild.

We encourage interested people to join the guild through our website or come to one of our upcoming events. You can also follow us on Facebook and crafthaus and join our groups there as well.

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If you are an arts organization based in the United States with 50 or more members, or if you have a defined constituency of 50+ artists who you support, you may be eligible to participate in Fractured Atlas’s Open Arts Network. Contact Adam Natale for more information: adam.natale@fracturedatlas.org, 212-277-8023.

Images (top to bottom):
1) MAG board members in front of the handmade MAG sign during the opening of “Urban Renaissance,” an all member exhibition, November 2009.
2) At a MAG summer picnic, member Curtis Arima in his studio at the Sawtooth Building, Berkeley.
3) MAG-sponsored demonstration of fabricating a bracelet by Tuareg silversmith Elhadji Koumama from Agadez, Niger, at Adam Clark’s (back) Scintillant Studios, San Francisco.
4) MAG booth at MakerFaire, San Mateo, CA. Member Cintra Harbach sits next to MAG custom display case featuring work by those giving demonstrations at the event.