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As part of the group exhibition Deeply Routed, join us for a public panel discussion bringing together Adam Atkinson, Josie Mayes, Shalena White, Alejandra Salinas Pérez, and Jason Spencer in conversation with Michelle Sotolongo. Together, they will discuss pedagogy, material experimentation, and community-centered approaches to making. Panelists will reflect on how metals education shapes contemporary art, design, and culture far beyond the university, while also opening dialogue around what it means to build and sustain an academic program in an ever-changing world.
Updated January 26, 2026
Due to winter weather-related travel disruptions, Evan Larson-Voltz and April Wood will be unable to join the panel on Wednesday, January 28.
Panelist 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
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.
Josie Mayes is a metalsmith and jewelry artist based in Austin, Texas. She creates handmade sterling silver jewelry inspired by sunlit shores and a sense of timeless wanderlust. Josie studied Metalsmithing and Jewelry at Texas State University and works professionally as an artifact preparator at the Bob Bullock Texas Museum. Her work combines technical skill with a personal exploration of memory, travel, and the natural world.
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.
Alejandra Salinas Pérez is a metalsmith and contemporary jeweler born in the United States and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. Standing between two cultures, she combines her personal history with a contemporary perspective, translating her experiences into metal objects and jewelry. Alejandra’s work has been included in several exhibitions including Under Fire 3, The Earring Show, Wear/Ware, Alchemy 5 and Metal Complexions. Her work was also selected for inclusion in the La Frontera exhibition. Alejandra completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Metal from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Her work explores boundaries, both physical and conceptual, as she attempts to materialize a sense of resilience and hope.
Jason Spencer is a metalsmith, educator, and community organizer based in Austin, Texas. He co-founded The Jeweler’s Saw, a cooperative of independent jewelry and metal artists, educators, and students, dedicated to fostering mentorship, collaboration, and shared learning. Through the cooperative, Jason provides a supportive environment for artists of all skill levels, offering independent studio rentals, hands-on classes, casting facilities, and community events. Situated between Austin Community College and Texas State University, the Jeweler’s Saw seeks to strengthen connections within the metalsmithing community while nurturing both emerging and established artists.
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.
Michelle Sotolongo is a metalsmith, designer, educator, and academic advisor based in San Marcos, Texas. Born in Mexico City and raised in Houston, she earned a BFA in Metals/Jewelry with a Fashion Merchandising minor and an MA in International Studies from Texas State University. Michelle’s work draws inspiration from natural and man-made surroundings, biology, Indigenous Mexican aesthetics, religion, and the concept of dualism. She often transforms non-precious materials—such as botanicals or plastic eyelashes—into silver objects, exploring the tension between sacred and profane, and challenging viewers to reconsider value and meaning.
In addition to her studio practice, Michelle serves as Coordinator for the TXST Monarch Center for Immigrant Students and guides undergraduate Honors students, integrating mentorship, community engagement, and social awareness into her artistic and educational work.