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Vallee de Joux, Switzerland

Grant Awarded for Guilloche

I am very excited to announce I have been awarded an Arts Project Support Grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission! This grant will help fund my travel to Switzerland to study Guilloche under Calina Shevlin, one of the few expert Guilloche artists in the world who do it professionally. American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina, where I teach a metalsmithing and jewelry elective class, is also supporting my professional development, which I sincerely appreciate.

Calina Shevlin working at a Guilloche machine

Guilloche, or Engine Turning, is a handcrafted process utilizing a manual machine to put engraved lines, designs, and patterns into metal. Though the technique has its roots in ancient times, the machines used today, most built before WWI, have their origins in 18^th century France and Switzerland. Brought into mainstream culture by Breguet in the 18^th century and Faberge in the 19^th century, the decoration on silver objects, such as cigarette cases and belt buckles, was extremely popular during the 1920s Art Deco era.

Me using the Guilloche machine at the American College of the Building Arts

Sadly, my college professor Alfred Ward, an internationally acclaimed silversmith from England, recently passed away. The American College of the Building Arts purchased many of his tools and equipment from his estate. One of those items included a Guilloche Hall Straight Line machine, made in Rhode Island in the early 20^th century, so I have begun learning how to use it for both my artwork and to teach my students. The journey has been fascinating and sometimes frustrating as it is an extremely difficult process to teach oneself.

Fortunately for me, I found Calina’s book Guilloche: A History and Practical Manual online and read it to learn about Guilloche. I ultimately contacted her after I saw her class offerings on her lovely website. She has already been so kind and generous with her time and I would not have made it this far without her!

My first Guilloche sterling silver jewelry series, Rialto, incorporates the new skills I have developed.

Sterling Silver Rialto Pendant Small by Kaminer Haislip

I’m honored by the opportunity to learn Guilloche from a leading expert in the field and thank the South Carolina Arts Commission and American College of the Building Arts for supporting me in this important endeavor. I teach a jewelry elective class during the spring semester and am thrilled to bring back new skills to teach my students. I’m also eager to see the new direction my work will go in after learning more of this intricate process. My instruction will take place in March 2025, so stayed tuned for another Blog post detailing my studies then!

This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

This project is also funded in part by a generous award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.