posted 10-27-2011 10:09 PM            

Chloe is a very nice young woman, a pleasure to work with. She is dedicated to learning this craft and sticks to her work with a fine attitude.

As you may have guessed from previous postings about ONC there was the feeling that there was no future for the company because the owner, Peter Dooney, appeared to be indifferent to the decline of the work force, while also saying that he would never sell the company. Back in the early summer Chloe sent her resume and pictures of her work to Mr. Dooney and we were surprised that she received an answer. She was told she would be invited down to Connecticut for an interview. Time dragged on and she received no invitation so Chloe started calling on nearly a daily basis, speaking to Peter Dooney's son-in-law who was the go-between. She didn't give up and apparently bugged them enough that finally the son-in-law called us and asked if we knew her and if she was what she said she was. We said she most definitely was so the offer was made to her to come in and start to learn the craft, with just a month's trial. That is not much time but she did have her foot through the door. This week they decided to make her permanent (Hurray). She was even asked if she knew another person who might be interested in coming to work at ONC. Chloe is going to check with some fellow graduates of her school.

I've been teaching Chloe and she is a quick learner. One of the most important aspects of learning this work is having the desire to learn it and the interest in putting in the effort required to become good at it. Chloe has already shown an aptitude for this work and I think she will come along quickly.

So, she found the secret to getting their attention, which was to hit them in the head enough to wake them to the fact that someone was hitting them in the head. I am so pleased to have someone to pass this craft on to and to know there will be a future for the company.

As our situation in the basement of the building has only two anvil work stations, I am in the process of determining how we may rearrange things to create another work area. I just hope that whoever she might come up with as the other trainee has the same desire and work ethic that Chloe has.

middletom

posted 10-27-2011 11:35 PM            

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[?<gone from the internet> .meca.edu/bfa/metalsmithing-and-jewelry]

Hometown: Groveland, Massachusetts

Bio:

Chloe Darke is from Groveland, Massachusetts where she received great support from her family, teachers, and peers to pursue her interest in art. A senior Metal major, she anticipates receiving her BFA degree in May 2011. She has attended workshops in forging and enameling taught by David Clemons and Jamie Bennett, respectively. In 2010 her work was displayed at the Institute of Contemporary Art’s Thinking Outside the Body exhibition; she also received an Honorable Mention for her work in MECA’s 2010 Merit Show. Chloe’s post-graduation plans are to continue her studio practice and to earn an MFA in Metals. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, and singing classical music, all of which feed her desire to create art.

Where was your first introduction to Metalsmithing and Jewelry?
During my first year here at MECA! Previously I had only done 2D work and figured I would major in something 2D-related. When signing up for courses, I wanted to learn something different and Metals sounded fun and interesting. I’ve been hooked ever since.

How has your work changed since coming to MECA?
I do a lot more research now than I ever did before and pull from sources other than just the visual arts, especially history and literature. My work has also become more personal for me and I feel that I have a very intimate relationship with my pieces because of that.

What motivates you to make both Jewelry and Hollowware?
I am mostly motivated by the processes of making. I am interested in smithing techniques and utilize these when creating work. Smithing is such an archaic technology, but it is still a technique used to make modern art and therefore expands and enriches the history of the practice. This still really amazes me and also forces me to consider how my art will contribute to the history of this technique. And when it comes down to it I really like stakes, hammers, anvils, and fire and I actually enjoy the physical labor that smithing requires.

What year has been the biggest learning curve?
It’s hard to pinpoint an exact year because I’ve learned so much here, but I feel I learned the most Junior year coming into the major. I began to recognize ideas that I was really interested in pursuing and how to explore a consistent concept to create a body of work that I can feel proud of. I also learned better time management, which led to me feeling healthy and rested even though I was averaging many more hours in the studio than in previous years. That has also definitely paid off this year.

What are your plans for after school?
I want to attend some workshops and artist residencies around the country, travel, build up a strong portfolio, and in a couple of years apply to graduate school to receive my MFA. No matter what I do for a career, I want to have my own studio practice so I am making plans to purchase equipment and find a space for that.

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posted 10-29-2011 01:05 AM            

Please let Chloe know that she already has a group of fans here who are cheering her on and wishing her success in her chosen calling. And we will be more than glad to let her know her know how lucky she is to have you for her teacher and mentor.

posted 10-29-2011 03:46 PM            

Thank you for your kind words. I hope I can live up to them. Chloe is the first person I've had to teach and it is one thing to know how to do something and another thing to know how to get across to another person just what needs to be done and how. I am lucky in that Chloe remembers after being told once. She already is working a good deal on her own. I don't have to be looking over her shoulder all the time.

Scott, she has designed her mark and it should arrive from the stamp maker Monday. In the mean time Chloe is using her initials which she strikes into the pieces.In this craft, we start someone off making butter spreaders for those are the simplest to do. I must say that Chloe's butter spreaders were better than my first, so after a couple dozen of those I moved her up to teaspoons. One of her spoons was good enough to be included in an order someone had placed for one place setting and two butter spreaders have gone to a customer. Some day, if you come across an ONC piece that is marked CD, you will know who made it.

Scott, I gather you got that information and interview from the school's web site. When we are able to get a picture of her mark I'll also get a better picture of Chloe so she can be added to the listing of 21st century silversmiths.

middletom

posted 10-30-2011 10:23 AM            

I have taught younger people and have found that a combination of approaches seems to bear results. These are not always easy but they include recognizing them as someone who wants to learn and succeed; recognizing that they are individuals who have better days and not so good days with things in their personal lives going on that affect their work lives; leading by example every day; providing constructive feedback both when they do well and when they do not in at least a 3 positive to 1 negative ratio and hopefully more positive as time goes on and they learn more. Here is a really important one - try to teach by asking questions that start with 'why' or 'how' and that cannot be answered by a simple yes or no - the reason is you will make your student think through the lesson you are trying to teach and when they do that she will own the answer and not just parrot back a lecture. When you ask a 'why' question it will typically lead you and Chloe to root of a problem. When you ask a 'how' question it will typically lead to a discovery of an alternate solution tht is sometimes better. And by teaching by such questioning your student will absorb this approach and use it throughout her career to become an ever better smith. Some more advice: never lose your temper; sometimes teaching by doing using eye contact and without saying a single word can be more helpful that lecturing on and on; insisting on a job done well and not accepting second best, setting aspirational goals that are beyond her present ability but with encouragement that you are confident that she can not only reach them but exceed them; and letting her know your vision of what she will grow into and your expectation that she will surpass you in her ability in the fullness of her career because she will be standing on your shoulders in the way you stand on the shoulders of your predecessors going back in time. Give her that sense of her place and belonging in the history of silversmiths.

posted 11-01-2011 05:49 PM            

Kimo,
I don't imagine there will be any occasion when I might lose my temper for Chloe is doing so well. I think I am keeping the proper distance to allow her to find her way without making her feel abandoned. I chime in when I feel needed and leave it at that. I'm very much against the negative treatment as I find it counterproductive. One of my nieces finished her major in violin at Boston University where her teacher was Lucia Lin of the Boston Pops. My niece said Ms. Lin's method was to never say anything positive, only making negative comments.

Scott, I'll post Chloe's mark shortly.

posted 11-04-2011 06:46 PM            

Now that my power is back on & my fingers are not frozen, I have A message from a good friend from a teaching family for you. I thought you might enjoy their thoughts.
They think your advice is right on, on the art of teaching. They feel it could, and should be, applied to all fields, not just the hands-on work of smithing. Nice advice!
Go Chloe!

Jersey

posted 12-07-2011 09:18 PM            

Her speed has noticeably improved and her hammer blows are not nearly so tentative, but have authority.

middletom

posted 12-10-2016 09:44 AM            

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Originally posted by middletom posted 11-09-2016 08:28 PM:
Hello, all.

............

I want to let you know the latest at Old Newbury Crafters. Chloe has left us to go back to school, pursuing her Masters degree. She will be at it for three years and most likely will not come back to us for she wants to teach. A Masters will certainly get her a job at a good school. We wish her well and will miss her a great deal.

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My best to all,
Geoff Blake

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