The Metal Arts Guild (MAG) is an independent, non-profit, educational organization
of people who are skilled, interested, or share in the production and exhibition of metals.
Our Community
Everyone is welcome to join: from the beginner to the master craftsperson, teachers and students, metal arts collectors and more. Each member is a vital part of making the Guild work for our community.
We support the work of outstanding metal artists by organizing exhibitions, lectures, and workshops, awarding an annual MAG Community Project Grant, various student scholarships, and offering resources and opportunities for our members.
MAG is a 501(c 3) non-profit, all-volunteer-led arts organization, and we rely on your generosity to help us provide metal related events, lectures, workshops, exhibitions and networking mixers to the membership and community.
Featured Member
Each month a new Featured Member is chosen from the completed member profiles on our website. Their interview and work is highlighted on our blog and social media. Visit our archive of past Featured Members.
March 2025
Member of the Month: Maya Kini
Website: https://mayakini.com
Instagram: @mkini
Tell us a little about yourself.
Maya Kini studied sculpture and literature before going on to receive a graduate degree in Metalsmithing in 2007 from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She lives in San Francisco, California where she is a studio artist, poet, mother, and (sometimes) educator. Her studio is on the Sausalito waterfront.
What is your favorite tool and why?
My Durston Rolling Mill was the first big-ticket tool I invested in 22 years ago! I love being able to process material myself, to roll out square stock or ½ round wire. I often roller-print texture on the backs of my stone settings. This rolling mill expanded my studio capabilities and I am still finding new ways to engage with it all these years later.
What is your primary material create with most and what is your attraction to using them?
Gold because of its capacity for endurance and reinvention.
What inspires your metalwork?
Textures, walking, collecting, organic shapes, movement.
How long have you been working in metals and what brought you into this field?
I took my first jewelry class in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1996. While living in Mexico, I visited places like Taxco, San Luis Potosi, and Real de Catorce which all played a part in the movement of material resources from Mexico to Europe during the colonial period. Studying the history and mythologies associated with jewelry materials continues to inform how I make things.
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in metals?
Nurture a community of makers. Connect with them regularly. Take workshops. Apply for residencies.
What has been the biggest challenge for you as a metal artist and have you overcome it, or how are you working to overcome it?
My eyesight! I have been nearsighted since childhood and live in my glasses and Optivisors when I’m in the studio. I love looking at things with magnification and then stepping away from them. Jewelry exists at different scales…from the very intimate, hand and ring to the flash of light from a diamond earring reflecting from across a room. As my eyes age and change, staying curious about how my studio practice will evolve is key.
Favorite resource/vendor or website
I’ve refined and purchased metal from Hoover and Strong for two decades. They are a force for good in the industry.
