Join Midwest Metalsmiths
The Beginning
1995
In 1995, the Society for Midwest Metalsmiths was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The goal was to connect local metalsmiths who could share and receive technical information as well as promote and encourage individuals and groups interested in metalsmithing. Under the tutelage of Heikki Seppa, Ray Wenneker founded the metalsmithing group in the St Louis area.

History
The Midwest Metalsmiths has lived up to its mission of education throughout its twenty plus year history. The group has energetically worked to educate its members in the art of metalsmithing through workshops, speakers, and demonstrations. The funds we generate from our workshops and other fundraising are dedicated to the scholarships we give each year to local youth in need and university level students. We have also worked to educate the public through shows that feature the diversity of artistic expression in metal. In 2017, the organization officially changed its name from The Society for Midwest Metalsmiths to simply Midwest Metalsmiths.

Midwest Metalsmiths Board & Financials

Throughout my life my two great loves have always been textiles and jewelry, although not necessarily in that order. That’s just the sequence of my use of them as creative and career outlets. Although I started out in marketing and advertising, somewhere around mid-life, I realized that I was more creatively driven than marketing would allow for. I always wondered why I felt most at home in the art department. What I wanted was to be hands on. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and have always been a big DIY person. I went back to school and majored in Interior Design at St. Louis Community College at Meramec for an AA degree. After that I spent the next fifteen years as an interior designer doing everything from selling draperies to commercial and residential work. The commercial side included doing banks, offices and some hospitality.
After that midlife re-evaluation, my creative energies began to flow in a different direction as I began taking metalsmithing lessons at Craft Alliance. It didn’t take long before I was hooked and wondering where it was all going to lead. Metalsmithing has quite a different learning curve from doing interiors. Although some of the design principles are similar, any proficiency, takes a lot longer. Nevertheless, I persevered, until I became more and involved and began doing shows. Now, I share a wonderful studio
space with another artist and I can’t seem to learn enough about working with metal. I feel fortunate and happy to be able to do something I love and share it with others.
Meet Our President, Catherine Geyer

President - Catherine Geyer
Vice-President - Nancy Pierson
Treasure - Wendy Walsh
Secretary - Kelly Miller
Committee Chairs
Scholarships - Deborrah Daher & Lanie Kodner
Art Show - Lisa Koenig & Nancy Pierson
Workshops - Genevieve Flynn
Membership - Leigh Roberts
Fund Raising - Nancy Pierson
Website Administrator - Kathryn Bowman
To reach anyone of the MM Board members, please use our email address; midwest.metalsmiths@gmail.com.
Midwest Metalsmiths Board of Directors
What we do . . .
A sampling of activities before 2020. We will be back!





Members come together to elect the governing board and distribute "service pins" awarded for members volunteer hours of service to the organization.
Networking Opportunities
Metalsmiths and artists get together to discuss interests and engage in creative dialogue. These gatherings may be purely social, a metal technique demonstration, a speaker dealing with relevant topics, or a field trip to a museum or local artist studio.
Workshops
Each year Midwest Metalsmiths sponsors three to four workshops. We invite and attract leading metalsmiths from around the US to teach their advanced metalsmithing skills.
Midwest Metalsmiths Art Show
In the fall each year the members of Midwest Metalsmiths come together to present and sell their extraordinary jewelry and sculptural art to the public.
Help Support Us
DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN HELP MIDWEST METALSMITHS
Your generous donation will be used to support the Midwest Metalsmiths Merit and Youth In Need scholarship funds
Amazon donates .5% of the price of eligible Amazon Smile purchases to Midwest Metalsmiths. Go to the link below and put in Midwest Metalsmiths as your charity.
Midwest Metalsmiths logo items for you to wear or drink your morning coffee.
Schnucks give us 3% of each purchase made with an eScript card assigned to Midwest Metalsmiths
Details about the eScripts Program
**There is no extra cost to you for using Amazon, Cafe Press or Schnucks eScript programs and Midwest Metalsmiths uses the income generated to support our scholarships!

Here Nina uses a Flexshaft to sand edges of a piece of metal. The flex-shaft is an invaluable tool used for sanding, grinding, polishing, drilling, and much much more.

A great Metalsmithing tool that gets shapes cut out quickly and accurately.

Soldering metal elements together to create a final whole.