Past Presidents : Alison Antelman

Alison Antelman was President of the SF Metal Arts Guild from August 2007 to March 2011. She is sharing her insight and experience in this post.

Alison was also Vice-President of the Board August 2006- August 2007.

Can you imagine she was editor and writer for Guildletter in the days when it was printed, mailed, and devoured with excitement. February 2003- August 2006.

During the 2003 SNAG Conference in San Francisco Alison assisted in organizing Guild sponsored symposium/lectures in conjunction with the SNAG conference organizers.

These many roles were definitely a monumental contribution to the S.F. Metal Arts Guild community.

Alison Antelman says: Prior to becoming president of the Metal Arts Guild, I was editor of the newsletter. As an editor, I was embedded in our metals community, and reported on exhibits, lectures, member news including their successes. Due to this position, I met many members and learned that they have a variety of needs.

For this reason, I sought a very large board for the purpose of implementing these needs. Board members had ‘ownership’ over projects that fit the mission of the organization and appealed to aspects of our membership.

The wide breadth of the S.F. Metal Arts Guild could only happen with enough people to implement the many facets of our programs. This included lectures, workshops, tours, demos and parties.

As part of a greater metals community, we were often able to collaborate with other organizations including schools, which resulted in visiting instructors giving talks or meeting with our members. I was insistent on not having board members burn out. One way to prevent burnout was to have committees. As people needed help with their individual programs, those who couldn’t commit to a board position would participate in a project and be called upon in the future. This worked well as it included more of the memberships involvement and procured future board members.

Question: Can you provide some perspective about the Metal Arts Guild and the metalsmithing community? What has the Metal Arts Guild meant to you?

The San Francisco Bay area metals community is an active and productive guild. A mix of studio jewelers, educators, students, professionals, hobbyists and enthusiasts. The historical founding provides a solid base for our metals community to grow and evolve. When I was president, there were still a few founding members from 1951, who enjoyed coming to the parties. I got to meet and get to know them along with learning their stories. The social events were always a lot of fun, with great demos, food and a way to interact with the wide swath of members at all levels in their careers. Often held at a makers studio, a school or even at a business in the field, events provide a place to connect personally.

MAG is still a vibrant and vital part in my metal arts career even after moving to Sant Fe. It’s remarkable that MAG seems to have a national scope as members who originated in the Bay Area still have an affinity for the guild, maintain membership, and are active in our community.

Question: What have you learned? What is your secret to success?

Relationships are everything in the life of a studio jeweler or any artist. They are how you learn, grow, network and sell. The people who acquire my work are gaining an original piece of art jewelry along with my story, a story that develops over time. I have gotten to know many customers over the years and when I see them, we visit, catch up and I show what I’m working on. We have a shared interest in each other.

Being part of our community instills important peer relationships with other makers, no matter the medium, one of the most important aspects of my career. With all the technology in the world, we don’t exist in a vacuum. Along the way, my mentors and peers became friends, celebrating a 30-year career allows me to look back at those relationships I’ve nurtured. In the end, it’s the people you meet along the way, not the destination.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alison.antelman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aantelman/

Website: https://www.antelman.com/

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