Jess has been exploring art her entire life and was introduced to her first fire art form, cast metal, as a teenager. She has since grown her love of creating with heat, spark, and flame to include enamel, blacksmithing, jewelry arts, welding, and encaustic painting. She creates work ranging from jewelry to public art scale, and everything in between. Jess has been teaching and creating using fire arts processes for over 20 years and has a degree in Studio Arts (summa Cum Laude) as well as Art History from the University of Minnesota.
Jess is a teacher to her core and loves sharing her passion for creating with others and seeing the joy of possibility in her students’ eyes as they learn new skills and accomplish something that may have been intimidating or new. She especially loves to collaborate in community to create community-informed public art or to offer processing or articulation of passion through creative processes.
Jess delights in bringing unique creative opportunities to unusual places and working with non-traditional creators by offering education and art-making experiences in communities with her bicycle- or trailer-transported “Pedal to the Metal: Mobile Workshop” arts engagement tools.
Jess has training and a specialty in working with underserved communities such as folks with disabilities, individuals currently incarcerated or involved in the legal justice process, unhoused communities, aging learners, and communities moving through trauma, and she especially loves working with young people.
Jess is happy to customize her offerings for scope, budget, learning targets, or duration — just ask!
Programs
Workshops
Introduction to Enamel – Create One-of-a-Kind Enamel on Metal Artwork! (Can be a pop-up workshop!)
An introduction to applying glass frit or painted enamel on copper to create a beautiful, colorful surface. Participants stamp, shape, and alter their pieces prior to adding enamel; then they learn to torch-fire or kiln-fire to finish their artwork.
The workshop offering includes basic forming/texturing/stamping on pre-shaped copper, adding powdered enamel, and firing before finishing, as preferred, to become a pocket sculpture, jewelry item, magnet, pin, keychain, etc.
Best For: Early Learners (Pre-K), Early Elementary (K-3), Upper Elementary (4-6), Middle School (5-8), High School (9-12), Folks with Disabilities, Teens & Young Adults, Adults, All-Ages, Older Adults – General, Intergenerational; Customization: Customizable for folks with disabilities, very young learners, and teens as well! Duration: 1+ days.
A mobile trailer where the work can be easily fired can be added for outdoor events, pop-up events, or ANYWHERE, for an additional fee.
Residencies
Enamel Lab – Dive Into Enamel on Metal Artwork!
Form your own metal shape and learn to apply glass frit or painted enamel to create a beautiful, colorful surface. Participants will stamp, shape, texture, and form metal pieces before applying enamel, firing them with a torch or in a kiln, and adding finishing touches.
The residency builds on foundational enameling skills while introducing metal-shaping and forming techniques, including hand-cutting and shaping metal. Depending on the group’s goals, the residency can culminate in a collaborative installation, sculpture, or mural. However, a public-facing final project is not required; residencies may focus exclusively on developing individual artistic skills and techniques.
In the case of a public art piece being desired, it is good to note that typically participants will have at least one (or more) personal take-home piece(s) as they are learning how enamel works, in addition to ideating and/or creating a collaborative public art installation, sculpture, or mural.
Best For: Early Learners (Pre-K), Early Elementary (K-3), Upper Elementary (4-6), Middle School (5-8), High School (9-12), Folks with Disabilities, Teens & Young Adults, Adults, All-Ages, Older Adults – General, Intergenerational; Customization: Customizable for folks with disabilities, very young learners, and teens as well! Duration: 5+ days
A mobile trailer, where the work can be easily fired, can be added for an additional fee.
Teaching Artist Statement
My philosophy is that everyone can benefit from creative processes, and I have the wonderful opportunity to use art as a tool for engagement to support all learners in their creative journey. I believe in meeting each participant where they are, and I have extensive experience and enjoy working with learners who require adaptive tools or processes to create with me. My experience with underserved populations includes folks with disabilities, individuals currently incarcerated or involved in the legal justice process, unhoused communities, and communities moving through trauma. I am also comfortable in the classroom setting as well as in community-based pop-up events, with offerings that can take place indoors or outdoors and be customized in length and scope.
Part of my process for meeting agreed-upon goals begins with working together to overcome real and/or perceived barriers to participation, both together and in community. I intentionally use contemporary approaches to ancient techniques in my workshops and residencies, offering most participants an accessible way to try something not typically found in the classroom or their location, such as glass enamel, cast metal, encaustic painting, and blacksmithing. These processes involve the magic of heat, fire, transformation, and, in some cases, physicality to create art that is unique, durable, beautiful, enduring, and powerful.
Participants typically reflect a strong sense of pride in the successful completion of their individual work or contribution to public artworks. I am honored to support all of my students through creative challenges, adaptive needs, or wavering confidence to a place of trust and success, culminating in work reflective of their personal style and expressed personal and community goals.
I offer experiences anywhere from pop-up make-and-take events to workshops, residencies, and community-informed and created public art. My classes are adaptable for specific needs, learning targets, educational standards, thematic goals, and differing budgets. I am also happy to work with you to create your custom-designed program or project.
“Jess is a great teacher. Loved the class. Jess is super knowledgeable and patient and just had a great time.”
Former Student
