Biomaterials: OysterClay
This experimental project explored the use of oyster shells to develop biomaterials, which we cast into test objects and used as a slurry in a 3D ceramics printer.
Read MoreSeptember 18, 2023 – November 27, 2023
The Art, Culture, and Technology (ACT) program at MIT is pleased to host the 2023-2024 artistic inquiry luncheon series. These lunch-time conversations aim to foster artistic inquiry across disciplinary boundaries and are open to faculty, staff and students in the School of Architecture and Planning, as well as those affiliated with the MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST). Organized by the CAST Mellon postdoc Cassandra Guan, the series will bring together a diverse group of artists, technologists, and researchers to investigate the possibilities of artistic inquiry in dialog with the creative arts community at MIT.
Read Moremet·al·smith ˈme-tᵊl-ˌsmith
: a person skilled in metalworking
Recent Examples on the Web
After sending out a call to artists in February, the city selected metalsmith Rhea Vedro to create a sculpture.
—Emma Platoff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2023
Metalworking skills were similarly prized among the Germanic tribes of northern Europe, who captured Roman metalsmiths and apparently put them to work.
—Catherine M. Cameron, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2017
Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metalsmith
My Amulet City Hall Plaza sculpture project will be formally presented to the Boston Art Commission on 6/13/23. After this step funds are released to begin the fabrication, aiming for install Nov. 2023.
I am delighted to accept the position of Metal Artist in Residence/Technical Instructor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology beginning November 2022. This opportunity within the MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering bridges metalsmithing and explorations in material culture with students in the Merton C. Flemings Materials Processing Laboratory.
Delighted to share a short film documenting the kick-off of my Amulet Series. Video by Sean Peloso
In collaboration with Now + There, artist Rhea Vedro has begun a three-part public art project titled “Amulet” that starts with community workshops in East Boston and culminates in a series of bird-inspired steel sculptures installed at City Hall Plaza. Reaching heights of more than 16 feet, the sculptures will serve as guardians for the energy of the city.
UPDATE 7/19/21 — AMULET (WORKBENCH) I’m sad to report that someone vandalized the sculpture and destroyed portions of the table. I have removed the damaged components including the hammers while I regroup and decide how to proceed.
Thank you to all who already added their wishmark, come look for it at City Hall Plaza in my next sculpture!
Read MoreAmulet (workbench) featured on El Planeta news!
Read MoreOpening event Wednesday July 13th, 6-8pm (New St./Sumner St. waterfront)
Come add your wish and hammer marks. Vedro will be onsite facilitating take-home metalsmithing activities from 6-8pm. Special appearance by community partner Veronica Robles Cultural Center musical float at 6:30pm! Made possible by Now + There.
Read MoreSafe Passage (amulet) from artist Rhea Vedro alludes to possibility and protection through a bird-inspired sculpture, constructed from welded steel and concrete. The piece will be placed at an imagined portal at the meeting of land and sea.
Read MoreThe Now + There Public Art Accelerator provides curatorial, technical, and financial support to develop new temporary artworks in Boston and includes the opportunity to receive $25,000 in funding to create a new neighborhood-focused project. I am so honored and excited to begin.