Deeply routed: txst metals

Organized by Nicole Deschamps-Benke and Laritza Janiga

January 20 – february 8

Opening Reception: Tuesday, January 20 ⎸ 5–7 PM
Panel Discussion: Monday, January 26 ⎸ 5–6 PM

Complementing Beverly Penn’s solo exhibition Foregrounding Paradise, Deeply Routed highlights the TXST Metals program as a catalyst for creative community. For more than 30 years, the program has been recognized internationally for its experimental approach to metalsmithing and interdisciplinary teaching, earning accolades from the Society of North American Goldsmiths, Art Jewelry Forum, Klimt02, and others.  

Exhibiting artists are current and former TXST Metals faculty that represent the fabric of a program that sustains a legacy of innovation. Their contributions demonstrate the many ways alumni and faculty shape the field as educators, makers, and leaders. Deeply Routed underscores these multifaceted roles by presenting selected works alongside conversations on professional practice, exploring how these artists navigate the discipline through research, international symposia, and leadership.  

Exhibition Events

Artist Bios

Adam Atkinson (he/they) is a metalsmith, curator, and educator. Atkinson received an MFA in Metal Design at East Carolina University in 2019, and a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studio Practices at Boise State University in 2013. Their work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including Boone Art and History Museum, Nagoya Zokei University, Nagoya, Japan, among others. They have been awarded numerous residencies including the Emerging Artist Residency at the Baltimore Jewelry Center and the three-year residency at Penland School of Craft. They teach widely across the United States.
@adamatkinson_art

Sulo Bee is a creature maker and worldbuilder exploring themes of identity and queerness through an alternate reality called $P4RKL3_FiLTH_CL0UD_NiN3. Their practice merges metalsmithing and ceramic techniques with the scientific process of electroforming, combining traditional making methods and technology.

Bee earned their MFA in Studio Art from SUNY New Paltz and their BFA from Texas State University. Sulo is a co-founder of Queer Metalsmiths, where they seek to uplift queer voices in metalsmithing and craft. In 2022, Bee was selected for the Emerging Artist Cohort with the American Craft Council and was later awarded the Marzee Graduate Prize with an invitational residency in Belgium and an exhibition at Galerie Marzee. Bee completed the GEMZ Talent Programme with Current Obsession, culminating with an exhibition at the Nieuwe Instuut in the Netherlands in 2023.

They have had solo exhibitions at Brooklyn Metal Works, Fried Fruit Gallery, and Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, and their work has been exhibited at institutions such as MAD, Fuller Craft Museum, R&Company for ObjectsUSA, and the Handwerk & Design Fair in Munich, Germany, for Talente: Masters of the Future 2025. Sulo was recently awarded the 2025 Bavarian State Prize for innovation in design and later named “best non-basic jewelry” by Rough Cut podcast.
@sparkle_filth

Nicole DesChamps-Benke’s work amplifies, embodies, and embraces key social, technological, and environmental issues worldwide. For centuries, civilizations have valued the genre of portraiture to both understand and project the human condition. With her 3D cameo portraits and life-sized wearable silhouettes, Nicole DesChamps-Benke redefines portraiture into modern wearable objects, which are simultaneously steeped in historical context and grounded in individual relevance.

DesChamps-Benke received her BFA from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit and her MFA from the University of Michigan. Her artwork has been in national juried exhibitions and galleries, such as the Walker Art Museum Shop Gallery in Minneapolis, Aaron Faber Gallery and American Craft Museum in New York, as well as international exhibitions at Gallery Okariya, Ginza District of Tokyo and Tsubame Industrial Materials Museum in Nigata, Japan. Her work has been showcased in hardcover and periodical publications such as The Metalsmith’s Book of Boxes and Lockets by Tim McCreight, Mokume Gane: A Comprehensive Study by Steve Midgett, and Metalsmith Exhibition in Print 2000. She was a featured presenter at the 1999 Society of North American Goldsmiths conference in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to her studio practice, Nicole has been an educator for two decades, teaching at numerous colleges, universities, and art centers in Michigan, Ohio, Maine, and Texas. DesChamps-Benke is a Full Professor of Instruction and Director of the Multidisciplinary Innovation Lab at Texas State University where she teaches the integration of 3D digital fabrication technologies with traditional studio art and design practices.
@nicoledeschampsbenke

Laritza Garcia Janiga’s work explores cultural identity, narrative, and material specificity through jewelry and metal objects. Raised on the U.S.–Mexico border between Reynosa, Mexico, and McAllen, Texas, she draws from personal experience. She uses archetypal symbolism to invite reflection and build connections, linking individual stories to broader cultural narratives. 

Laritza holds an MFA from East Carolina University. She has exhibited in over 50 shows across the U.S. and internationally, including JOYA Barcelona, New York Jewelry Week, and the Society of North American Goldsmiths. She has presented at the Yuma Art Symposium and contributed to virtual panels for New York Jewelry Week and Art Jewelry Forum’s Global Ambassadors program. Her work is part of the permanent collections at the Mint Museum, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, and the Racine Art Museum. Her projects have been featured in Objects of Affection: Jewelry by Robert Ebendorf from the Porter Price Collection, Metalsmith Magazine, American Craft, 500 Necklaces, and New Earrings: 500 Designs from Around the World. Laritza is an Associate Professor of Instruction at Texas State University, where she teaches in the Jewelry and Metals program.
@laritzagarciajewelry

 Evan Larson-Voltz is a craftsperson and visual artist whose work examines the various facets of handwork as an action and prime endeavor that shapes human cognition. His metalwork and installations investigate metaphoric interactions, perceptual anomalies, and the role that craft has within the larger contexts of culture. He was Fulbright Fellow in Seoul, South Korea, researching metal craft traditions and the role of the craftsperson.

He has lectured nationally and internationally at Nanjing University, Shanghai University, Seoul National University, The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, the University of Oregon Eugene, University of Wisconsin LaCrosse, among many others. His artwork has been included in national and international exhibitions in notable venues such as: The Museum of Arts & Crafts, Itami, Japan, Internationalen Handwerkmesse, Munich, Germany, and the San Francisco Craft & Folk Art Museum in California, Power Plant Gallery at Duke University and Spaces Gallery. His work is in the collection of The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Cleveland Art Museum and the Hellenic Centre for Photography, amongst others. He earned an MFA in metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in metalsmithing from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Shalena White is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator who uses metalsmithing techniques incorporated with found, organic materials to create sculptural forms as adornments and architectural installations. In 2014, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with her MFA in Metals from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2009, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA specializing in Metals/Jewelry from Texas State University.

In 2014, she was awarded People’s Choice by popular public vote for Austin City Hall's yearly competition at People's Gallery. Mountain Laurel Mandala II is now included in the city of Austin's permanent art collection. It is currently on display in the mayor's hallway at Austin City Hall. She was also awarded with the Austin Chronicle's 2011 Best of Austin Critic’s Pick Award for Best Stunning Adornments. Recent exhibitions include Materials Hard & Soft, Denton, Texas, 2022; Shalena White, solo exhibition, Texas State University, 2019; Repurposed at ICOSA, 2019; Craft Texas 2014, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft; Pool, MFA thesis exhibition, UT Austin Visual Arts Center; 10th Anniversary 2014 People’s Gallery Exhibition, Austin City Hall; Echoes of Form, three-person exhibition, UT Austin Visual Arts Center; Craft Texas 2012, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Shalena lives in Austin, Texas where she is pursuing multiple artistic interests including community-based, public art projects, fine jewelry collections, and teaching.
@shalenawhitestudios

April Wood is a metalsmith and jeweler living and working in Baltimore, MD. She is a co-founder of the Baltimore Jewelry Center, a metals + jewelry community education space in Baltimore city, where she worked as Studio and Program Manager, Exhibitions Director, and an instructor. She received her BFA in Studio Art, concentrating in Metals/Jewelry, from Texas State University – San Marcos and her MFA from Towson University. She has taught at the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Corcoran College of Art and Design, Penland School of Crafts, Idyllwild Arts Academy, and Towson University. Her work has been featured in Metalsmith, Surface Design Journal, and Sculpture. She exhibits her work nationally and internationally, including a solo exhibition at the Austin Museum of Art and SIERAAD International Art Jewelry Fair in Amsterdam.
@aprilwoodmetalsmith

About the Texas State Metals Program  

Founded and nurtured by Beverly Penn, the TXST Metals curriculum blends rigorous pedagogy with professional practice and collective making. The Metals Guild, founded in 1994 as one of the School of Art and Design’s first student organizations, reflects the collaborative spirit of metals guilds throughout history. Together, coursework and extracurricular initiatives have shaped generations of artists and educators while fostering enduring alumni relationships.   

Program graduates form a multigenerational network that supports emerging artists and shapes the cultural infrastructure of the field. Alumni hold roles as tenured faculty at institutions such as the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), museum preparators at the Bullock Texas State History Museum, practicing artists, blacksmiths, and community organizers. Their impact extends into the founding of international platforms like Queer Metalsmiths, national centers like the Baltimore Jewelry Center, and local community studios such as The Jeweler’s Saw in Austin and Flame & Form Metals Studio in San Antonio.   

ABOUT THE TXST FL3X PROGRAM

The Texas State Galleries’ FLEX space invites Texas State Art and Design students, faculty, staff, and alumni to envision and assemble well-considered, visually engaging, and conceptually stimulating exhibitions and events. Through these programs, FLEX highlights the unique creative vision of our community and its relevance within the larger art world. 

For details regarding the application process, including application deadlines, see Opportunities.