Seth Papac’s trifurcated practice involves teaching and mentoring students, researching and producing conceptual one-of-a-kind jewelry and owning and operating a limited-production jewelry company. Before joining the Jewelry + Metalsmithing faculty at RISD, they served as department head of metal at The Oregon College of Art and Craft. As a visiting artist and critic, Seth has had the opportunity to engage with an international spectrum of students, notably in Finland and in Colombia as part of En Construcción: Simposio de Joyería Contemporánea.
Seth received their BFA from the University of Washington and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Their work is exhibited and published internationally and they are the recipient of several awards and grants including the Louise Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award and the Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship. Their work is part of numerous permanent collections including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Cranbrook Art Museum and the Rotasa Foundation. Seth currently serves as Co-President and Board Member of The Society of North American Goldsmiths.
This course is designed to challenge first year graduates to rethink their previous assumptions about their work, prior training, working methodologies and approaches to their practice. Through a series of rigorous and innovative start-up exercises, graduates are encouraged to expand their subjects, abandon their comforts zones, fail, edit, and (re) direct their work. Equal emphasis is placed on critical thinking and critical making. Faculty, meet weekly, individually with each student to provide constructive feedback and necessary structure. In small group discussions and in-class reviews, first years are required to actively participate in discourse and take responsibility for the collective dialogue. The resulting insight and shared knowledge between students, along with their own personal gain, sets the tone and direction for their work at RISD over the next two years.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Graduate Jewelry + Metalsmithing Students.
Major Requirement | MFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing
JM 4436-01 - PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES
LevelUndergraduate
UnitJewelry + Metalsmithing
Subject Jewelry + Metalsmithing
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
JM 4436-01
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES
LevelUndergraduate
UnitJewelry + Metalsmithing
Subject Jewelry + Metalsmithing
PeriodFall 2024
Credits3
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: W | 11:20 AM - 4:20 PMInstructor(s): Seth PapacLocation(s): Washington Place, Room 021BEnrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course is an interactive lecture class. A series of distinctly varied individuals active in the field of jewelry will be invited to make presentation about their professional development. These diverging presentations are intended to offer a catalyst to stimulate questions, and encourage group discussion. Among the subjects to be presented are: individual studio practice, designing for industry, gallery connections, non-profit opportunities, partnerships, global opportunities, curatorial and journalistic prospects, wide world of the web, post graduation educational options, support systems for RISD alumni, residency prospects, and technology as resource for design and production. Students will be asked to keep an active journal of weekly observations and fulfill 3 class assignments connected with their ambitions and career interests.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Jewelry + Metalsmithing Students.
Following the completion of the first year, second-year graduates identify their personal areas of interest essential to the development of their thesis research and practice. Students are required to outline and pursue independent work with a self-determined structure, timeline, and intentions. Regardless of outcome, students are expected to evidence their progress weekly during individual meetings with faculty. Central to the second year, graduates are required to demonstrate a high level of self-motivation, vision, and initiative reflected through their concentrated inquiry and the rigorous exploration of their ideas. In conclusion of the term, second year graduates are required to complete a thesis presentation, to a J+M faculty review committee, in approval of their preliminary objectives and strategies in preparation for Graduate J+M Thesis.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Graduate Jewelry + Metalsmithing Students.
