Metalsmithing

Undergraduate Minor

Metal globe artwork

Pursue your dream career in metalwork and jewelry with a metalsmithing minor

Metalsmithing is a hands-on, creative discipline that thrives at the University of Wyoming.

Students get access to exciting learning opportunities and a new metalsmithing studio that includes all of the equipment needed to perfect your craft.  The skills learned in this program prepare students for professional internships, job placement in the jewelry design industry and post-graduate educational experiences.

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Metal globe artwork

This program is currently offered in
the following locations:

Laramie Campus

About the Metalsmithing Minor

The metalsmithing minor is a 24-credit-hour program that combines foundational art and drawing courses with advanced metalsmithing work. Throughout the program, students get comprehensive, hands-on experience with the design and creation of small-scale metalwork and jewelry.

Metal artwork

 

 

Students pursuing a B.A. in Art History may minor in a studio discipline, including metalsmithing. However, students pursuing a B.A. or B.F.A. in Studio Art or a B.A. in Art Education cannot minor in a specific studio discipline.

Students should plan on a minimum of five semesters to complete a metalsmithing minor due to upper-division course prerequisites.

Please note that all metalsmithing minor courses require a minimum grade of C to count toward the minor. Visual arts class

Metal jellyfish

 

Metalsmithing Minor Program Highlights

Hands-On Learning

Metalsmithing students have many opportunities to practice their skills and participate in experiential learning opportunities. Students are encouraged to study abroad, travel to national conferences, attend summer sessions at renowned craft and jewelry schools and participate in workshops at neighboring universities.

 

Metalsmithing students are eligible to complete workshops and residencies at nationally renowned craft schools including Penland School of Craft, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. UW and the Department of Visual Arts offer scholarships to help offset the cost of travel and attending these events.

DEPARTMENT OF VISUAL ARTS

All metalsmithing students have access to UW’s cutting-edge art facility, the Visual Arts Building. This building houses a new, multi-room metalsmithing studio that features 15 classroom benches, critique space and dedicated studio space for advanced students. The studio also includes a soldering area with acetylene torches, kilns for large and small-scale enameling, metal clay and casting, durston rolling mill, shears and hydraulic presses, a casting room with dedicated equipment for centrifugal and vacuum casting and a hammer room with anvils, stakes and a comprehensive selection of hammers for forming, raising, chasing and forging at large and small scales.

 

The art department is home to several active student organizations. As a metalsmithing minor, here are a few you may be interested in:

  • Student Art League
  • Wyoming Sculpture Society
  • Ceramic Arts Guild

ART ORGANIZATIONS

What can you do with a metalsmithing minor?

Metalsmithing students are prepared for a variety of artistic careers. Our graduates pursue careers as jewelers, entrepreneurs, professors and more! Many of our graduates pursue additional education in prestigious graduate programs, including those at Virginia Commonwealth University and Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro. Grads additionally pursue non-academic appointments at craft schools like Peters Valley School of Craft and the John C. Campbell Folk School.

  • Jewelry designer or goldsmith
  • Custom metal artist or sculptor
  • Metalsmithing instructor or professor
  • Product or industrial designer
  • Fine craft business owner
  • Restoration or conservation specialist
  • Blacksmith or forge artist
  • Museum or gallery technician
  • And more!

Here are a few of the ways our metalsmithing alumni are getting creative:

  • Assistant Professor of Art at Casper College
  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Wyoming
  • Museum Preparator at the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne
  • Gallerist in Cody, Wyoming
  • Professional Bench Jewelers across Wyoming and Minnesota 

Metalsmithing is the art and craft of shaping and manipulating metal to create everything from fine jewelry to functional tools and sculptural works. As a metalsmithing minor, you'll learn hands-on techniques like forging, casting, soldering and enameling, while exploring both traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design. It’s a creative and technical field that blends art, design and material science—perfect for students interested in making tangible, lasting work.

A metalsmith works with metal to design, shape and create objects by hand or with specialized tools. This can include crafting jewelry, utensils, tools, sculptures or decorative pieces. Metalsmiths use techniques like forging, casting, soldering and welding to manipulate metal into both functional and artistic forms. They may work as independent artists, in studios, for manufacturers or in educational and restoration settings.

Look inside UW's visual arts building

Step inside the University of Wyoming’s state-of-the-art Visual Arts Building and see where creativity takes shape. This is where students bring their ideas to life through hands-on work with metal, specialized tools and professional-grade equipment. If you're passionate about design, craftsmanship and making something that lasts, this is where your journey begins.

"You were so influential in helping me understand what I wanted to do. I had never touched metal before your class and as soon as I did, I knew it was a medium that I would have fun with. Not only did you teach me the tools that I hope to be using for the rest of my life, but you introduced me to a huge community of people that I can connect with and draw inspiration from. It's because of those connections that I know I'll never forget to make art."