Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Lopez. She and her team share her story with us below.
Ana M. Lopez is a metalsmith, educator and decorative arts scholar. Her creative work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, receiving a juror’s award from the 2016 Refined exhibition. Other recent exhibitions include Celebrating Women in Art Education, the 49th annual Clay Fiber Glass Metal Wood and the solo show Industrial Arts at the Terminal 136 Gallery at the Blue Star Arts Complex in San Antonio, Texas. She is the author of the reference book Metalworking Through History: An Encyclopedia, published by Greenwood Press, as well as numerous other scholarly articles. Three of her pieces are featured in the Society of North American Goldsmith’s inaugural Jewelry and Metals Survey (JAMS) annual publication. She served as a juror for the 2015 Materials Hard & Soft national craft exhibition and has lectured extensively on her own work including as a presenter at the 2015 East Carolina University Material Topics Symposium and 2017 Society of North American Goldsmiths conference. She holds an MFA in Metalsmithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art and an MA in the History of American Decorative Arts from The Smithsonian Associates and Parsons School of Design. She is currently Associate Professor and Area Coordinator of Metalsmithing & Jewelry at the University of North Texas where she also teaches The History of Craft. Ana is serving on the Fulbright Specialist Roster through 2020.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The decorative arts history degree was definitely a detour from the typical trajectory for a studio artist, and a lot of people thought I was crazy to leave a tenure-track position to pursue it. However, it has really paid off and I would not change a thing.
I have two children, which seems to put me in the minority for studio artists. This choice creates challenges when it comes to balancing my commitments. One of the reasons I have been successful is my very supportive spouse.
Please tell us about your artwork.
You can see my artwork at www.anamlopez.com. The way in which I am most unusual in my field is not necessarily the body of work I produce but the scholarship I bring from my decorative arts history background and the fact that I also contribute to the field with written research. When I teach, I hope to leave the students with more than hand skills. I want them to push themselves to be their best. The ultimate goal is to be the nagging little voice in the back of their heads, reminding them not to settle.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have squeezed in a year as a bench jeweler somewhere along the way – I feel I would have more to bring to the classroom with that retail and manufacturing experience.
I made a lot of dumb mistakes along the way, but I cannot wholly regret them, as they landed me here – exactly where I want to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.anamlopez.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anamlopezmetalsmith/?hl=en
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