Hammering away, delightfully. Immersed in the family business of metalsmithing practically from birth, Bethamy Linton started formally working with her father making silver flatware and restoring antiques from the age of 16. Later she trained formally and also in apprenticeships and mentorships in fine jewellery, art and object design. In this short (and sweet) Q&A, […]
Elaborate Costumes Send a Message of Breaking Free from Slavery and Racism with Optimism and Hope. It all began in the summer of 1958 in West London when racial tensions grew in the Afro-Caribbean community. Riots went on for three days with over 100 people getting arrested over the bank holiday weekend. In 1959, the […]
Extremely loud and incredibly motivated. Megan Stewart describes herself as ‘extremely loud’, and she’s entitled to be, as one of a few young makers in Australia, indeed internationally, who specialises in the unique genre of custom eye ware. A metalsmith by training, Megan makes bespoke frames for your glasses, mainly hand made out of aluminium […]
Ode to the wheel, knife and drill. Acclaimed ceramic artist Sandra Black lives and works in Fremantle. She is recognised as a leading ceramicist internationally, and perhaps lesser known in her home state of Western Australia. With a strong exhibiting catalogue you can find Sandra Black’s works in a number of Australian and New Zealand […]
Turner by name, turner by nature. An ‘atronym’ is the word for when a person’s name ‘is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation’. Neil Turner introduced us to this term. He could have been called ‘farmer’, based on his previous work, however his destiny, it seems, was to become a wood turner. Neil Turner […]
Jeweller, Metalsmith and Educator We first met Claire Townsend when we started up Maker&Smith and were looking to plan some craft specific talks and discussions. In March 2019 we hosted a one-day forum, ADORN, about contemporary jewellery and metalsmiths in partnership with the City of Joondalup, to complement an exhibition of work by the JMGA-WA […]
Haute Couture Embroiderer and Designer Justine Bonenfant visited us in August 2019 to deliver Hand & Lock classes in haute couture embroidery techniques, not commonly taught in Western Australia, such as Goldwork and Tambour Beading. Participants enjoyed tuition and chats with Justine over the one, two and three day immersive classes in Perth and Midland. […]
Master Mender: Tom of Holland Tom visited us in August 2018 to deliver a number of workshops in Visible Mending and Darning for both knitting and fabric. It was our inaugural program and we were delighted that Tom received a fabulous reception. We loved hosting him and look forward to another set of his workshops […]
Some craft and inspiration links During your ‘COVID-19 Residency’, you might enjoy some of these articles, podcasts, videos and online courses in the list of links below. It’s an unashamedly random collection. Some fun, some inspiring, not exactly ‘pd’* and certainly not paid endorsements! Scroll down for podcasts, online tutorials, and access to the world’s […]
In July 2017, Maker & Smith was founded by Mary Ellen Cliff and Carola Akindele-Obe. Their primary objective was to fulfil their strong desire to elevate the professional craft industry in Western Australia. Maker & Smith operates on a volunteer basis and aims for self-sustainability without compromising standards. We rely on partnerships and pay fair fees to skilled artisans and designer-makers who participate in our programs.