I believe that the studio environment can be its own form of educational tool. Throughout my career as a Maker and as a Teacher, I have found various collections of samples, usually displayed as “Demo Boards” to be a huge inspirational part of the studio space. I continue this practice in my own studio as well as donating those to studios that I teach in.

In 1994, I was Boris Bally’s studio assistant for a workshop at Touchstone Center for Crafts. It was my first experience at a craft school and was instrumental in my transition from sculpture into metalsmithing. While there, I was inspired by a fold-forming demo board created and donated by Charles Lewton-Brain. In 1995, I returned with Boris and we installed a collaborative demo board from his Die-forming Workshop. In 2008 while teaching my own die-forming workshop at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, I donated my own demo board from that workshop (to continue the tradition!). Since joining the Metalsmithing & Jewelry-Making faculty of UNT, I have contributed several demo boards, including one with numerous samples from when Charles Lewton-Brain came as a visiting artist to UNT in 2023—it’s amazing when things like this come full circle!

© James Thurman

Contact: jathurman@hotmail.com

DEMO BOARDS