Jewelry Program being CUT?!
Y’all. I found about this on Sunday, and it’s being discussed TODAY in the board meeting. Needlessly to say, I have OPINIONS on an art program being cut. Here’s the letter I sent (and if you’re so inclined, please feel free to sign that petition in the link).
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Thank you for taking the time to hear my testimonial about the CNM jewelry program and Bench Jeweler’s certificate.
I have been a professional artist for over 20 years and have been a practicing artist since I was a child. In that time, I have lived in three different countries and three different states, but New Mexico was the first opportunity that I had to engage in a jewelry and small metal construction class.
My first jewelry class was taught online, a difficult task that the jewelry instructors at CNM were able to conquer with their passion and dedication to this unique and skilled art form. Throughout the years, I have gained numerous techniques that have enhanced my art, but none are quite as varied and interdisciplinary as the study of jewelry. I can’t express enough how valued these studies have been for me on a personal and a professional level. From the conceptual stage, to fabrication, to finishing, all the skills I learned in the program have altered my approach to my art, my professional career, and my future career as an art teacher.
As an operations technician at FUSE Makerspace, I see students every day eager to get to the studio and work on their art, to share their pieces, and experiment with the technologies that we have available for them. Every jewelry instructor, when confronted with a student’s searching inquiry about how to do something, is never, ever no–it is “Well, how can we do that? Let’s figure it out.” The Bench Jeweler’s certificate program allows for not only the necessary skills to engage in the jeweler’s art form, but also for a creative and safe environment for students to learn in.
I graduated from CNM with an Associates in Art Studio and Bench Jeweler’s certificate in August 2021, both with honors. I could not have done so without Eso Gilligan, Harley McDaniel, Lindsay Fromm, and Shannon Sweet, all skilled artisans with years of experience. This is a rare art form, and the extent that CNM currently teaches these skills is more so. The loss of this program would not only be a terrible blow to CNM, but also to the greater community at large. I ask that this decision be reconsidered, as the loss of this program would be a disservice to future students and the thriving artistic culture that we are blessed with.
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So, what kind of creative pursuits are you workin’ on, folks?
