Rachel Kedinger
Metalsmith
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Recommended by American Craft Council
The wide-reaching potential of metal
- Rachel sculpts utilitarian items from metal
- She often uses enamel to add colour and texture to her pieces
- Her practice seeks to develop the relationship between people and objects
Rachel Kedinger is a metalworker and enamel artist best known for her bright and energetic functional work. She works across sculpture and installation, and enjoys the variety of paths the material leads her down. “My journey is always evolving and I do not put limits on myself. I have been making more utilitarian items, but I also think about how each piece is a sculpture in itself,” she says. Rachel started her metalsmithing journey as a college student, and has since honed her craft by working for various artists and metalsmithing shops. In 2018, she participated in the Core Fellowship Program at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina, and has since returned to Penland to teach. Rachel also plans to expand workshop offerings out of her studio space in Philadelphia, where she seeks to continue to share knowledge and skills with the community.
INTERVIEW
I am drawn to its rigidity and flexibility. It can be manipulated in so many different ways, from spreading and compressing to forming and casting. There are endless ways to use it, from creating a tiny piece of jewellery to building the Eiffel Tower.
I believe it is important for people to use and handle handmade objects in their everyday lives. In a world of consumerism and mass production, people should be reminded that everything was made by hand at one time.
I look to history as well as contemporary design and techniques. I want to understand where things came from, to take that knowledge and propel it into today's community.
I have begun to use more and more colour in my pieces through enamelling, which has been such a rewarding learning experience. My favourite part of my process is seeing the wide range of feelings and outcomes that are created from different techniques.
