Partake with Jess Tolbert and Rachelle Thiewes in an Art Talk as they share their process in the design of jewelry created as fine expressive art.

Art+Talk with Jess Tolbert
5:30 P.M.
Jess Tolbert is a contemporary studio jeweler, visual artist, and Assistant Professor of Art and Head of the Jewelry + Metals program at the University of Texas at El Paso. Jess’ work is recognized nationally and internationally and has been selected to exhibit at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, France, Brooklyn Metal Works, Beijing Design Week, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and the Society for Contemporary Craft.

Art+Talk with Rachelle Thiewes
6:00 P.M.
In 2009 Rachelle was named Texas Master by the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and in 2014 The Stanlee & Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts honored her with the Access & Excellence in the Arts Award. Rachelle is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artist Fellowship and designated the 2023 Master Metalsmith by the Metal Museum. Rachelle’s jewelry is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Museums of Scotland, Victoria & Albert Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Cooper Hewitt, Yale University Art Gallery, and the Museum of Arts & Design, among others. The Chihuahuan desert of West Texas has played a pivotal role in shaping the way Thiewes approaches her jewelry.