Students in the Metals and Jewelry Design program have the use of some of the best-equipped studios in the country. The college has invested substantially in studio equipment in recent years to ensure our students a seamless transition to the professional world.

All three of our metals/jewelry studios are brightly lit and well-resourced for a variety of processes.

More in our Facilities Directory

Independent or commercial jewelry designer, model maker, bench jeweler, jewelry/metals buyer

more about metals and jewelry design careers

• Supportive Studio

  One of the following required:
  Human Factors (3) or
  Contemporary Fashion Illustration (3) or
  Life Drawing I (3)
  Two of the following required:
  Sculpture I (3) or
  Functional Art I (3) or
  Intro. Industrial Design (3) or
  3 Dimensional Illustration (3) or
  3D Modeling (3)

  • 2D Design (3)

    KCPA 110

    A problem-solving course covering the principles of composition and modular design systems. Uses predominantly abstract shapes, and black, white, and achromatic gray ranges. (Students who have earned credit for VISC 110, Design I, may not use credit earned in KCPA 110 to meet graduation requirements.)

  • 3D Design (3)

    KCSF 111

    To explore the elements, principles and aesthetic concepts integral to three-dimensional design and to consider relationships between concept, process, materials, tools and technical skills. (Students who have earned credit for ARTS 120, 3-D Design, may not use credit earned in KCSF 111 to meet graduation requirements.)

  • Design Drawing I (3)

    KCDS 142

    Freehand drawing using basic perspective principles and quick sketch techniques.

  • Design Drawing II (3)

    KCDS 143

    Advanced freehand drawing and sketching with the addition of color media.

  • Visual Presentation I

    KCIN 231

    Introduces product sketching and presentation techniques used in the industrial design profession: freehand drawing, perspective, color theory, and two-dimensional design.

  • Human Factors (3)

    KCIN 240

    Investigates interactions among the product, environment, and the user. Anthropometrics, ergonomics, and social/behavioral issues will be explored.

  • Contemporary Fashion Illustration (3)

    KCIL 326

    Students will study the illustration of contemporary fashions, designs and accessories as well as research the work of current fashion illustrators. Course work will include practical techniques of fashion illustration along with experimentation with various media.

  • Sculpture I (3)

    KCSF 241

    Introduction of media and techniques in the sculptural processes, including but not limited to: welding (gas, MIG, TIG), subtractive carving, additive/constructive and molding and casting. Builds upon concepts and vocabulary from 3-D Design. Formerly KCFA 241

  • Functional Art I (3)

    KCSF 271

    Design and construction opportunities and challenges presented by the addition of function to fine art are addressed through intensive study of studio woodworking techniques. An emphasis will be placed upon artistic expression that coincides with archival construction methods. Formerly KCFA 271

  • Introduction to Industrial Design (3)

    KCIN 120

    Overview of the industrial design profession and practice, with emphasis on the design process.

  • Three Dimensional Illustration (3)

    KCIL 222

    Introduction to the techniques, tools, and the personal expression in sculptural illustration.

  • 3D Modeling (3)

    KCDM 232

    A computer course that focuses on the creation of three-dimensional objects ranging from commercial products and objects of art to architectural interiors and exteriors. Formerly KCVC 232

• Major Studio

  • Introduction to Metals/Jewelry Design (3)

    KCMJ 120

    Students will be introduced to the materials and processes of metalsmithing through technical demonstrations, design exercises, and the creation of original works. Coursework includes research projects, technique samples, 2D ideation, 3D studies, and finished metal objects. These objects may be body adornment or utilitarian objects. Students will be immersed in the scale and technology of metals/jewelry, but will be encouraged to make objects that reflect their own personal or disciplinary experiences.

  • Model Making and Casting (3)

    KCMJ 121

    Students will develop traditional wax working and casting skills, as well as develop unique and personal methods to reduce and build up models to be burned out and cast. Emphasis will be placed on the ability to carve and model to specified dimensions, as well as concentrating on the unique attributes and possibilities of casting. Design skills will be enhanced to take advantage of the casting process, and will add to the development of a unique creative language. Students will also be introduced to rubber mold making and wax injection, as well as the common practice of producing models to have molds and casts made off-site.

  • Metals/Jewelry Design I (3)

    KCMJ 211

    Metals/Jewelry Design I, II and III are a combination of technical and aesthetic research, personal design development through drawings and object creation. Students will be required to design and produce one or multiple objects each semester with ideation, critique, approval, and construction stages for each. Design I will reinforce rudimentary design skills by engaging in a series of exercises outlined in client and project briefs. A majority of the coursework is research and drawing driven. It will introduce skills, in particular a design process, which can be taken to the intermediate and advanced design courses.

  • Bench Topics in Commercial Metalwork (3)

    KCMJ 230

    Presents metals/jewelry design majors with a hands-on and intensive survey of the jewelry industry through the work of the “trade” jeweler. A selection of bench techniques will be taught which center around repair and sizing. The processes and manufacturing concepts learned in previous courses will be modified or augmented to reflect industrial production standards. This knowledge can be brought into future design work, and future work at the bench producing any kind of metal object.

  • Metals/Jewelry Rendering (3)

    KCMJ 250

    Builds on the student’s foundation experience, as well as the drawing and drafting for metalwork as introduced in Metals/Jewelry I. The course augments the latter skills in order to render designs for presentation, rather than as an aid in planning. Using a variety of media and techniques, including computer software, concepts will be drawn in front, side, top and perspective views, and will be rendered out in full color. These images will be used as tools to illustrate forms to clients, as well as a part of the planning and production process.

  • Metals/Jewelry Design II (3)

    KCMJ 312

    Metals/Jewelry Design I, II and III are a combination of technical and aesthetic research, personal design development through drawings and object creation. Students will be required to design and produce a number of items each semester with planning, approval, constructions, and criticism stages for each. Design II stresses a further integration of concept and execution. Students will spend a greater amount of time proving their designs with increasingly detailed planning and prototyping.

  • Metals/Jewelry Design III (3)

    KCMJ 313

    Metals/Jewelry Design I, II and III are a combination of technical and aesthetic research, personal design development through drawings and object creation. Students will be required to design and produce a number of items each semester with planning, approval, constructions, and criticism stages for each. Design III will ensure that students are prepared to vigorously defend a design idea, and then plan the execution of that object using a self-directed and instructor approved timeline. This will be facilitated through a meticulously documented design process and professionally appropriate finished work.

  • CAD/CAM for Metals/Jewelry (3)

    KCMJ 320

    An exploration of the computer as a design tool for Metals/Jewelry Design majors. Introduction of digital 2D drawing concepts, digital 3D modeling techniques, and subtractive as well as additive output processes as they relate to the design and creation of original work.

  • Stonesetting (3)

    KCMJ 330

    Students will approach stones and their settings from the point of view of appropriate design, durability, marketing, and quality of crafts-personship. Students may bezel, channel, bead, flush, prong, and pave set stones from the modest CZ to natural sapphires and rubies. Traditional hand techniques will be the standard. However, other advanced techniques may be employed.

  • Production Multiples (3)

    KCMJ 342

    Production multiples will introduce various small and large studio strategies to make identical metal objects. These objects can be modules for large, complex works of art, or they may be finished commercial projects. Designs and models will be modified and optimized for manufacturing, and techniques similar to those used in previous courses will be recovered for use in producing greater quantities of items. Mold making, wax injection, mass casting, mass finishing, die cutting, CNC milling, photo etching, and other methods will be covered.

  • Advanced CAD/CAM for Metals/Jewelry Design (3)

    KCMJ 420

    Advanced techniques and applications for using the computer as an artistic tool, especially as they relate to jewelry design. Modeling skills will be augmented to allow for a more intuitive and comfortable approach to sophisticated design projects such as multiple stone settings, suites of related designs, and organic form generation. Output technology selection and use will be reinforced by researching practical and experimental uses for contemporary printing and machining systems.

  • Professional Practices (3)

    KCMJ 441

    Identifies the major professional/business issues that students will encounter as metalsmiths and designers. Guest speakers will represent different facets of the field, identifying the particular demands of their specialty. Readings will inform students about the economic challenges of the independent artist, as well as those of the creative business proprietor. Students will choose a career path and research the route to reaching that goal; presenting their finding in a studio/employment/educational/business plan. Instruction will be given on lighting and photographing metals/jewelry objects, as well as strategies for disseminating and presenting portfolios to graduate schools, clients and the public.

• Capstone Course

  • Metals/Jewelry Thesis (3)

    KCMJ 460

    Utilizing the experience gained through the metals/jewelry design coursework, and informed by a student’s interest and vision, the thesis student will propose, research, and execute a unified body of work. Thesis work should relate to the major experiences of an individual student, but will focus and refine a particular aesthetic, technique, and/or theme. Thesis results will be displayed during Kendall’s Annual Student Exhibition, as well as in an oral presentation that is open to the public, complete with in-progress visual documentation.

• Art History

  Art History Elective (6)

  • Western Art I: Prehistoric through the Renaissance (3)

    KCAH 111

    An overview of the Western Art tradition from prehistory through the Renaissance using a socio-cultural methodology in a chronological framework. (Students who have earned credit for ARTH 110, Prehistoric through Middle Ages, may not use credit earned in KCAH 111 to meet graduation requirements.)

  • Western Art II: Baroque to the Present (3)

    KCAH 112

    A survey of Western art from the Baroque to the present, this course will continue building upon the foundation of Western Art I; prehistoric through the renaissance, using a socio-cultural methodology in a chronological framework. (Students who have earned credit for ARTH 111, Renaissance through 20th Century, may not use credit earned in KCAH 112 to meet graduation requirements.)

  • History of Fashion as Art (3)

    KCAH 315

    A study of male and female fashion as an art form, related to the fine arts and reflective of the changing cultural values of Western history

• Liberal Arts and Sciences

  Science Elective (3)
  Math Elective (3)
  Humanities Elective (6)
  300/400 Humanities Elective (3)
  Social Science Elective (3)
  300/400 Social Science Elective (3)

  • Written Rhetoric (3)

    KCHU 120

    Written Rhetoric provides students with practice in the art of writing well. Students who successfully complete the course will demonstrate competence in critical thought and expression and in the composition of expository prose. They will use writing both as a tool for discovery and communication, and they will shape their communication in response to audience and purpose. (Students who have earned credit for ENGL 150, English I, may not use credit earned in KCHU 120 to meet graduation requirements.)

  • Oral Rhetoric (3)

    KCHU 121

    Oral Rhetoric provides students with the skills and confidence needed to speak effectively in formal presentations. Course concentrations include the examination and practice of oral rhetoric, building on skills in common with Written Rhetoric. (Students who have earned credit for COMM 121, Fundamentals of Public Speaking, may not use credit earned in KCHU 121 to meet graduation requirements.)

  • Advanced Rhetoric (3)

    KCHU 320

    Advanced Rhetoric provides students with practice in analyzing, developing, and organizing various forms of persuasive discourse, including written, oral, and visual. Building on the skills developed in the two prerequisites, students apply their understanding of rhetorical concepts to the study of various social issues and cultural texts.

• Studio Electives

  Studio Electives (12)
  Recommended electives: Special Topics (200 level), Special Topics (300 level), Hollow and Utilitarian Ware, Internship, Introduction to Photography

Download the catalog for the most recent course listings and prerequisites.