Introduction + Contributors: Victoria Altepeter, Lynette Andreasen, Jonathan Brown, Lauren McAdams

As our first post, we would like to introduce our blog and it's contributors. We hope this blog will be a virtual history of our metals program at Arizona State University and will inform students, educators, metalsmiths, artists, and the general public about our endeavors. We also wish it to be a record of the individuals who are a part of the program and the work that they produce.

So, thank you for viewing, and we look forward to your comments!

Contributors may include:
From left to right: Lynette Andreasen, Jonathan Brown, Victoria Altepeter, and Lauren McAdams

As for Introductions...

Victoria Altepeter

The metalwork that Victoria creates is inspired by the universe and the events occurring therein, it is wearable. It is her goal to make comprehendible the vastness of our universe, she sees ties between ourselves and the universe we are part of. She enjoys jewelry for the intimacy between object and wearer, for its permanence, and its portability. She sees the body as a moving gallery, the pieces moving through place and space just as astral bodies. She wishes to make permanent the impermanent in her pieces. As the sky and universe is constantly changing and expanding, light always shifting and traveling, she wishes to capture snapshots of these occurrences with in a precious material. She feels a deep connection to the history of metalworking and to the history of body adornment throughout the centuries. She uses patination to allude to time or place, and keeps forms as simple as possible to give the sense of wholeness, calmness or balance. She wishes the wearer/viewer to feel what she feels when she is creating this work- that of calm and balance- two things she is always searching for in her life.

Lynette Andreasen

Lynette makes wearable art jewelry that incorporates both metals and fibers. Her work is about human connection and interaction. She is interested in the exchanges that occur between individuals both intimate and casual, and the imprint these exchanges have on our lives. These exchanges can be physical, emotional, circumstantial, etc. She is interested in identity, cause and effect, and the individual in relation to the group. Her jewelry discusses these exchanges and relationships.

Jonathan Brown

Jonathan's works in small scale sculpture. Through his work Jonathan attempts to create other, smaller, more isolated worlds. These nano worlds are a place of imagination and escape. He often incorporates lenses in his pieces, which cause the viewer to peer into his distorted dream-like landscapes.

Lauren McAdams
Lauren McAdams work revolves around her fascination with personal relationships and the complexity of simple conversational interactions. She is constantly considering how an object can start a feeling that will force viewers to interact with each other. Her work also discusses relationships, specifically romantic relationships, and also communication.