A glass display of metals and hand-crafted jewelry can be seen near the end of the hallway in the K building at the Liberal Arts Campus at Long Beach City College. The art designed by fellow students in the jewelry and metalwork course is filled with different styles of craft smith and design for beauty.
Sounds of machinery working, lingering smells of sawdust, and burning material fill the aroma of the classroom. Each student in the room was working on their own projects, some using a metal saw, sandpaper to file down steel items, or filers to shave down sets to fit custom jewelry.
This course is noted to be one of the most sought after by students, as it helps boost those looking to open and run their own small businesses. This program here, specifically at LBCC, is a two-year commitment that begins with metals and jewelry then progresses to advance casting, portfolio, and professional artistry.
“Most programs in other schools touch more on conceptual and technical teachings, and a lot of life skills are missed in the transition from school to the working world,” Hosanna Rose Rubio said, one of the program advisors. “Our goal is to help students be in contact with those skills while still being enrolled as a stepping stone, and get familiar with the work that will be expected.”
A student-run club called “Straw Factory” was set up to focus on the production of work, and start up practices on jewelry and metal making once graduated.
“It’s kind of like being in your own small business while being in school. The club gives a sense of professional development that you actually end up needing when you go out into the real world and look for work, with the skills taught here,” Rubio said.
What sets this program at LBCC apart from other community colleges is the program’s funding. The course was fortunate to receive funding that goes directly to helping students, by giving them access to advanced tools and more innovative machinery such as a laser cutter that allows them to get the experience and knowledge a lot of jewelry and metal-making work looks for.
“The funding allows students to get exposed to the field by going to other organizations, and being able to see and learn things that are not taught here, but they get the same experience most would have to pay big money for,” Rubio said.
The course recently joined a partnership with the Art Society of SoCal, a local organization that works with them to bring in artists on campus, to speak to students in the working field and give them a chance to sell their work at local shops.
Most students come to learn a skill that they can transform into a business or take the technique further and pursue a career in the arts at higher universities.
“The one skill I knew I wanted to get a steady grasp on, was opening a small business for myself and this class helps by providing that second step,” student Karin Alverez said.
Alvarez had already started her journey in her business of selling jewelry made of stones ranging from all sorts of colors.
Creativity is encouraged in this program, and for students to bring their personal inspiration into their designs projects.
“This is a technique-heavy field that teaches students the foundational skills to build and grow,” Rubio said.
The jewelry and metal-making course continues to thrive, as every class this semester was overfilled, so they could have added more classes for students that wanted to take it.
Their show will debut at MOLA, the Museum of Latin America, at the end of the month and on Dec. 11, to display and to sell the work students have been working on all semester.