Weekly Instructors
Founding instructor Raychel Wengenroth is an artisan member of The Society of American Silversmiths (www.silversmithing.com) and is a nationally recognized artist who has completed commissions for Oprah, LJ duPont and the Bob Hope “Humana Award”, among others. She has taught at: The Woodstock Guild, Mill Street Loft, Silvermine School of Art, Brookfield Craft Center, Wesleyan Potters, Farmington Valley Arts Center, The Connecticut School of Jewelry Arts and Southern Connecticut State University in Connecticut; Fletcher Farm in Vermont; Pennsylvania Society of Goldsmiths in Pennsylvania, Peters Valley and the Art School at Old Church in New Jersey.
She has also run a successful wholesale jewelry and giftware business selling to over 100 accounts in the US and abroad. She began teaching in order to train potential employees and found a second career. She maintains her studio work with commissions, repairs, restorations, limited edition and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Website: www.raychelwengenroth.com
Workshop Instructors
Christine Eschbach studied traditional metalsmithing with Lisa Gralnik and John Cogswell at Parsons School of Design. Christine went on to explore a newly created (at the time) material, Precious Metal Clay, under the guidance of Celie Fago. Bridging the gap between traditional and modern metalsmithing techniques has been, and continues to be her creative passion.
Website: www.westand28.com
Estyn Hulbert was born in Scotland and lived in France and Switzerland before finally settling in the United States. Growing up in a family full of artists and missionaries, it’s not surprising that she's concerned with beauty and meaning.
Her maternal grandfather was artist Garth Williams, who illustrated dozens of children’s books including Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little and the Little House on the Prairie series.
Estyn apprenticed with her aunt, artist and jewelry designer Jessica Rose, who hired her as an assistant and encouraged her to start designing jewelry.
Jessica was a self-taught artist known for her opulent and playful jewelry designs and sculptures. She designed jewelry collections for fashion designers Yves St. Laurent and Issey Miyake, and had jewelry featured in numerous films, including Fatal Attraction. She was honored with a retrospective show at Sotheby's of London.
Jessica died in 2006 but Estyn continues to make her timeless designs.
Website: www.estynhulbert.com
Lisa Spiros is currently teaching jewelry making at the JCC in Manhattan, and the 92nd Street Y, as she has for the past fifteen years. She received her B.F.A. in Metals from The State University of New York at New Paltz, and attended graduate school at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany. She has taught at the Parsons School of Design, (Coordinator), New School for Social Research, New York University and The State University of New York at New Paltz. She has been invited as a guest lecturer and visiting artist by The Rhode Island School of Design, Massachusetts College of Art and the Hiko Mizuno College Art in Tokyo, Japan.
In her jewelry studio, Spiros makes Minimalist stainless steel jewelry and architectural metalwork. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at museums such as; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, the Museum of Arts and Design, NY, Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C. National Museums of Scotland, National Museum of Wales, Crafts Council of Great Britain, Charles A. Wustum Museum, the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna, Laforet Museum Tokyo Japan.
Most recently, the Museum of Arts and Design made their second acquisition of her Jewelry work and The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a piece of hers for their permanent collection through The Department of Modern and Contemporary Art. Her works will be included in a new acquisitions exhibition of the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum this November.
Website: www.lisaspiros.com