Paulette Werger, artist and visiting professor of metalsmithing at Carleton College, will present a lecture on her recent projects entitled “Landscape of the Table and Other Work” on Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m. in the Boliou Hall Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
The presentation will focus on Werger’s “functional and elegant” flatware and vessels, while also referencing a rich history of elaborate table services. She will also discuss her various sources of inspiration, from ancient mythology to plant life. The event is sponsored by the Carleton Department of Art and Art History.
Throughout her career, Werger has not shied away from the most difficult of metal mediums, including high-karat gold, platinum, precious stones, sterling silver, and pewter. She has even taught workshops for fellow metal-workers on overcoming the “fear” of precious metals. Werger also employs a wide variety of metalsmithing techniques, including the Keum-Bo, the traditional Korean method of fusing gold with silver. Through her work, she hopes to “capture the tenuous bits and pieces of the garden and translate them into objects for the table and the body.” The central theme of growth and cycles of life can be seen throughout her oeuvre.
Werger has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally, including shows at the Hood Museum, the Fuller Craft Museum, the Society of Arts and Crafts, and the prestigious Renwick Gallery. After receiving her BS in painting and sculpture from Skidmore College and the College of Saint Rose, she went on to obtain her MFA in Art Metal from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Werger now co-owns her own studio, Metalpeople East, in Lebanon, NH. She is currently taking a semester off from her post as co-manager of student jewelry workshops at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College to teach a course in metalsmithing at Carleton.
For more information about Werger and her works, visit http://www.metalwerx.com/staff/106. For information about the event, including disability accommodations, contact Patt Germann at (507) 222-4341 or pgermann@carleton.edu.
