Dallas’ Art of the Craft Brings Three Powerhouse Creative Forces Together

Ceramic artist Jennifer Pritchard, jewelry designer Julie Cohn and architectural metal artisan Brent Anderson are among Dallas’ most talented and experienced creatives. Hear their insights and inspirations as they kick off The Dallas Architecture Forum’s panel discussion series with The Art of the Craft, held next Tuesday October 29 at 6:30 pm at Dallas Black Dance Theater. Landscape architect David Hocker will moderate the discussion, which is free and open to the public.

Before becoming a jewelry designer, Julie Cohn of Julie Cohn Design first studied the craft of bookbinding and box-making to house her prints. This led her down a diverse design path that included rugs, textiles, hardware, tabletop, collaborations with architects and public art. As a self-taught jeweler, her approach begins by working directly with materials rather than sketching a preconceived idea.

Cohn is inspired by the intersection of modern and primitive art, combining old world craft with mixed media processes. Her studio in Dallas functions as an artistic collective where she mentors young  artists.

Jennifer Prichard grew up in Dallas and studied at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design before opening her Austin-based firm, J Prichard Design.  Her large-scale, site-specific art installations are composed of thousands of handmade ceramic forms, many of which are thrown on the potters’ wheel. Because her work integrates into the architecture of its site, Prichard often works closely with the project’s architects and designers.  Her work has been commissioned for commercial and private projects worldwide and has been covered extensively in U.S. and international publications.

Before becoming an architectural metal artisan, Canada-born Brent Anderson’s varied career included a stint developing clandestine personal electronic devices for  Texas Instruments. Anderson switched gears when he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design from the University of North Texas, beginning a career as an art director, creative director and co-founder of an agency in Dallas.

When a client needed a trade show exhibit with little budget, Anderson built it himself. From this experience his career as a maker developed, initially in the advertising world, then building art furniture and finally working as an architectural metal artisan through his company Elemental Design. Anderson has collaborated with such firms as Max Levy Architects, Shipley Architects, Morrison Dilworth + Walls, Hardy Construction and Space Between Design Studios on everything from drawer pulls and staircases to hardscape and the elements of a columbarium.

 The Art of the Craft, Tuesday, October 29, at 6:30 pm, Dallas Black Dance Theater, 2700 Ann Williams Way. For information, visit dallasarchitectureforum.org or call 214.764.2406. Free parking is available between the DBDT building and Fellowship Church, located to the east of the DBDT building.