About the Guild

Mission Statement
About the Guild
Board Members
Bylaws

Mission Statement

The mission of The Metal Arts Guild is to foster community, provide education, and promote Bay Area metal artists and jewelers. We accomplish this by hosting events, providing technical and social media resources, encouraging collaboration between organizations, and outreach to local and global communities.

About the Guild

The Metal Arts Guild (MAG) is an independent, 501(c 3) non-profit, all-volunteer-led arts organization of people who are skilled, interested, or share in the production and exhibition of metals. It was founded in 1951 by a small group of artists working in the studio jewelry and metal arts movement during that time. Today, our membership is comprised of professional and emerging artists, educators, students, collectors, hobbyists and writers.

Board Members

Hilary Finck
President
president@metalartsguildsf.org

Instagram: hilaryfinckjewelry

Hello MAG members! I’m thrilled to become the President of the Guild and I look forward to working alongside the other Board members and hopefully you, too, to help move this organization forward out of these Covid times that have limited our ability to really shine as a collaborative and supportive group of metal artists.

A little about me — I was born and raised in St. Charles, Missouri, and was lucky to grow up playing outside in creeks, swamps, forests, and farm fields. It was a very different life than my 8-year old son experiences now growing up in San Francisco. Moving to Fort Collins, CO for college, I took my first jewelry/metalsmithing class at Front Range Community College, then enrolled in two more years of metalsmithing at Colorado State University. I moved to San Francisco in 2000, and shortly thereafter I met Peter and Dan Macchiarini and began apprenticing with them for about two years. It was an honor to meet Peter and work alongside him. I had my own studio from about 2002 to 2010 making custom jewelry and had a few local and east coast wholesale accounts. I also taught beginner metalsmithing and enameling classes at Palo Alto Art Center and Silvermine Art Center in New Canaan CT. Feeling the need to feed my other passion, environmental sustainability, I went back to college in 2011 and finished an undergrad degree in Environmental Studies and followed it up with a graduate degree in Environmental Policy and Planning. I worked for several years for Recology and for an environmental consulting firm. In 2018, I sorely missed making jewelry and sorely disliked working in a cubicle so I took a leap and restarted my jewelry business. It has been one of the best decisions of my life and has made me realize that jewelry design is where my true passion lies.

When I’m not making jewelry, I love doing all the usual things — beachcombing, hiking, camping, backpacking, playing with my son, laughing with friends, and gardening.

Thank you for being a part of the Metal Arts Guild, and I hope we can meet soon!

–Hilary

Cynthia Clearwater
Treasurer

Instagram: ckclearwater

Cynthia Clearwater started her second career as a metal artist in 2005 after retiring from her professional career as an administrator at UC Berkeley. She works with gold, sterling silver, and gemstones, and loves the challenges of fabricating pieces from scratch. Her goal is eye-catching and soul stirring minimalist design.

Maria Carmella Luna
Secretary

Instagram: catchthemoondesign

Born in Chicago and was moved to California when I was five, raised in Mt. View/Los Altos. I raised my daughter in Los Gatos who is 52 and have a 17 year old granddaughter. Most of my working career was in the semi conductor industry, with chips in Marketing. I wanted a creative environment and went back to school, worked as a Graphic Design Production Artist, Project Manager, then worked with a Print Broker press checking. Retired in 2000, I worked once as a fine artist, working in oils, water colors and sculpture so I took a class again. I had not drawn in so many years it just frustrated me. I decided to look at classes at the local junior college and I loved the jewelry class! I helped start a jewelry guild so jewelers would have a place to sell their work in Marin. I have been a member and on the board of co-ops in San Francisco and Marin. Two galleries have found my work on the MAG website.

I am latin but did not grow up in the latin culture. My designs have been inspired by the Mesoamerica temples and Mayan hieroglyphic writing to connect with my Indigenes self. I prefer and enjoy wax carving, my little sculptures, but fabrication is faster so I do both. The majority of my work is in silver and semi precious stones.

Francesca MacKie
Membership
metalartsguildsf@gmail.com

Website: francescamackie.com

Francesca MacKie is a jewelry designer and instructor, a life-long artist, student and traveler. Her work is inspired by architectural landscapes and human interaction with nature. Francesca grew up in San Francisco and has an MFA in Sculpture. She teaches mixed media jewelry design and using textile techniques with metal at Academy of Art University. Francesca is eager to help her artistic community achieve their creative goals.

Jenn Parnell Kirkpatrick
Programs
magprograms@gmail.com

Instagram: jennparnelldesigns

Jenn Parnell Kirkpatrick landed in the Bay Area in the summer of 2019 after spending the rest of her life and career on the East Coast (DC/Baltimore area mostly). She received her BFA in Jewelry and Metals from RISD, her MFA from Towson. She’s been making and selling her own work since 2000, and teaching jewelry making since 2004. Currently she is teaching with Silvera Jewelry School and loving every minute.

There are very few aspects of making and the history of jewelry that don’t intrigue Jenn, and she’s always looking to try something new, explore a new technique, and continue making art. She loves doing commission work- making someone’s vision come to reality, and seeing the happiness that something she made brings to their life is one of the best feelings. Teaching provides her with a constant stream of ideas, as every time she teaches something she remembers how great that skill or technique is! Now to find more hours in the day!

Jeanette Blix
Programs
magprograms@gmail.com

Ron Elson
Exhibitions

Laura deLeon
Newsletter
metalartsguildnews [at] gmail.com

Instagram: lghtly_hmmrd

Laura deLeon is a Bay Area artist with a long and varied career. Fell in love with working in metal when attending classes at Cabrillo College 1997 and started a studio practice in 2008. Laura creates pieces combining traditional metalwork and fiber techniques with found and reclaimed materials.

Please feel free to get in touch with exciting news and events!

Trevor Twist
Public Relations
metalartsguildpr@gmail.com

Instagram: trevor.twist

Trevor is a bench jeweler, designer and metals educator in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2015. Trevor apprenticed with Daniel and Emma Macchiarini, and developed his own studio practice thereafter. To him there are few things more rewarding than creating something beautiful and helping others do the same.

Michelle “Meeshka” Vidro
WebMaster
magsfweb@gmail.com

Website: meeshka.net
Instagram: meeshkajewelry

“Story” is the primary focus and intent of Meeshka’s jewelry designs. Life’s collective events inspire her deeply. Meeshka Jewelry Designs are handcrafted jewelry creations that integrate the human experience, stories, and often support a cause. Her process includes drawings, lost wax casting, and fabrication using sterling silver, gold, and gemstones.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Los Angeles, Meeshka currently lives in Sonoma, CA. Meeshka started making jewelry as a child and was fortunate enough to learn metalsmithing in high school. A lifelong artist, she went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree from Art Center College of Design in graphic design and illustration. After working on Madison Avenue and in San Francisco, Meeshka rediscovered her passion for making jewelry in 2000 and added jewelry creation to her existing art and design studio.

“Telling a client’s story in jewelry is an exciting process for me. Collaborating with others is fun and it is especially satisfying to witness their joy as the piece of jewelry comes to life.” ~meeshka

emiko oye
Display Case Rentals

emiko oye is a San Francisco jewelry artist and designer working primarily in LEGO® to create ready-to-wear for her brand emikooreware as well as one-of-a-kind sculptural works that exhibit in museums and galleries worldwide. She discovered the yin to her yang via Forrest Yoga and is a certified teacher and active yogi in the Bay Area. A long-standing MAG Board member and past president, she is grateful for the life-time friendships she has made through this community.

Resource Center/Library

This position is open. Contact the Secretary if you would like to join the MAG Board.