A Fusion of Metal and Glass
Join metalsmith, Dana Finimore, for a weekend of creative fun at the Arkansas Craft School in Mountain View, AR.
Learn to create stunning, handcrafted copper jewelry embellished with glass enamel. This class will be focused on enameling on copper demonstrating both torch fired and kiln techniques. Time during class will be balanced to allow for in-depth demonstrations of the techniques/methods being taught and plenty of time for students to actually work on the processes or projects. This Intro to Enameling Workshop will be a sampler of enameling procedures, techniques and materials.
Students will learn from group demonstrations, and one-on-one instruction, and use their new skills to create earrings and pendants.
All Materials and supplies are provided (Register by April 27th and materials are free). Students may wish to bring their favorite jewelry making tools and a sack lunch.
Instructor Dana Finimore
The core of my work is centered in the ideology of finding catharsis of body and mind through contact with the natural world. My relationship with nature is symbiotic. It is my belief that as a human and an artist, I need nature and nature needs me. Compositional explorations in metal and paint express my keen observance of the textures and shapes found in nature. Early years spent roaming the creek banks and meadows of north central Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains has gifted me with a reverence for the environment. When my brain becomes cluttered by the superficiality and artificiality of today’s existence, I find clarity of spirit outdoors. Working in copper and sterling, I find the process of annealing and manipulating metal to be an act of collaboration between the natural elements and myself. When I paint, I make work that feels organic yet abstract, the work is a visual reverberation of my time spent outdoors. The work must be spontaneous otherwise it risks becoming duplicitous. I want my work to be completely responsive to the emotional rejuvenation I experience while spending time in the terrain.
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Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.