Metalsmith and educator William Rogers of Cullowhee, N.C. will be leading two workshops at Tryon Arts and Crafts School (TACS) at 373 Harmon Field Road in Tryon. 

Rogers’ first workshop at TACS, entitled Hammered Copper Repousse Pendants, will be on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Working in copper, students will create a pendant reproduction of an ancient North American artifact with Native American imagery and motifs.   

First transferring a two-dimensional design to flat copper, then using punches and hammers to bring a two-dimensional design into the third dimension, this is the same method used by prehistoric Americans to form copper panels like the copper artifact that will be used as a teaching tool in the classroom. 

The second workshop on March 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. will be a mobile wind sculpture workshop in which you’ll be able to experiment with the laws of physics—levers, mass, and fulcrum. Students will learn to work and join metals together, using  pliers to bend wire, creating a drawing-like line in space. Students will use tin snips to cut metal sheets to make shapes that catch the wind, creating movement in a kinetic mobile or wind vane. 

Rogers has received awards of recognition for excellence in creativity and craftsmanship in several states. In 2002, he was named a master craftsman in Virginia, and in North Carolina, he has been selected to participate in several artist residencies. He works out of his studio and forge in Cullowhee, and he’s looking forward to bringing his knowledge and skills to the Tryon area. 

To register or for additional information, go to tryonartsandcrafts.org/product-category/workshops or call the office at 828-859-8323. 

– article submitted by Cathy Fischer