Program Overview

Graduate Program in Jewelry and Metal Arts

The Jewelry and Metal Arts Graduate Program offers a comprehensive three-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. The Iowa MFA in Jewelry and Metal Arts provides an immersive educational experience that fosters artistic development and technical proficiency. Through rigorous coursework, hands-on practice, and access to state-of-the-art facilities, students refine skills in various techniques such as raising, fold forming, anodizing, electroforming, casting, soldering, TIG welding, and stone setting.

Program Overview

• The program emphasizes critical thinking, tool knowledge, and conceptual development.
• Students learn to articulate their artistic vision effectively by engaging with design, art history, theory, and criticism.
• The program features collaborations with established artists, industry professionals, and fellow peers who share similar passions.
• These connections can lead to exhibitions, internships, or job placements post-graduation.

Curriculum and Training

• The comprehensive training equips students with the expertise necessary to navigate the complexities of the contemporary jewelry and metal arts field.
• Students have access to a wide variety of tools for both large- and small-scale mixed media projects.
• The program includes a 250-gallon electroforming tank, 130-gallon aluminum anodization unit, and advanced prototyping suite with an industrial CNC mill, lathe, laser cutter, and plasma cutter.

Career Opportunities and Funding

• An Iowa MFA can significantly expand professional networks and career opportunities.
• Incoming graduate students meeting all requirements will be offered a TA position teaching a beginning-level jewelry and metal arts class.
• Each TA position will be renewed each year and grants a full tuition scholarship and monthly stipend.
• Additional scholarships are available through the School of Art, Art History, and Design.

Studio and Facilities

• All jewelry and metal arts graduate students are granted a space in the JMA MFA studio.
• The secured workspace has 7 individual stations that include jeweler’s benches with flex-shafts, work desks, and personal storage.
• The space also includes two soldering stations with ventilation, a utility sink, and a collection of community tools.

Faculty and Staff

• The program is led by experienced faculty, including:
  • Lonna Huisingh (Keller), Visiting Assistant Professor
  • Steve McGuire, Professor and Area Head, Jewelry and Metal Arts
• The program also includes a studio specialist, Bethany Wood-Hebert, Instructional Services Specialist.

Research Areas

• The program encourages collaboration and interdepartmental exploration, allowing students to find their voice in the field.
• Outstanding works of alumni have been acquired by major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Art and Design, and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
• The program also explores the intersection of jewelry and metal arts with other fields, such as handmade bicycles, which are seen as objects of adornment and expressions of engineering purpose and aesthetic exploration.