The Master Metalsmith Behind Creative Dexterity
By Jillian Locke

“I owe the Worcester Center for Crafts ~ they’re part of my history in becoming a jewelry metalsmith,” Lauren Beaudoin proudly informed me. “As a kid, I always liked to use my hands and create things…My mom actually signed me up for a class at the WCC, and that’s where it all started.” And thus, the seeds were planted for Creative Dexterity, Beaudoin’s “work, studio, and business since 2007.”

A Worcester native and a Doherty Memorial High School graduate, Beaudoin’s initial interest in metalsmithing indeed began at the Worcester Center for Crafts. “My first metal piece was a ring I made in Katie Curtis’s class ~ it looks terrible, but it’s still amazing to me that I created it.” From there, Beaudoin took her love for art and raw creation to Mass College of Art, where she graduated in 2004 with a BFA in the Metals program. “Metals isn’t just about jewelry ~ it’s about creating metal sculptures, welding, blacksmithing, etc. The classes I was taking were more jewelry based, but I like to think of myself more as a metalsmith than a jeweler.”

Add instructor to that list, too. In the summer of 2006, Beaudoin found herself right back where she started; she got involved with the WCC again, teaching in the metal department and immersing herself in the programming and any other areas in which the Center needed assistance. By October of 2007, she had assumed the role of department head. “As an instructor, the thing I love to see in my students is the ‘Oh my God, look at what I made’ moment, and watch them learn and take classes and discover the things they could do,” Beaudoin reflects.

Due to economic stresses, the WCC has been forced to lay off many artists. “WCC was in debt…and Worcester State College needed a new arts building and made up a new major as well, so they basically lent the Craft Center money to use, which also allowed the college to use a part of the building for their new arts program.”

Beaudoin, along with others, have graciously stepped up to continue their work with the Center on a volunteer basis. “Right now, they’re just trying to slowly build up ~ a lot of people are more than happy to help out because it means so much to them. I felt like I needed to do something to assist them to get to where they need be.”

And that’s just what Beaudoin does in here spare time. Full-time, she’s a self-employed artist. Through her studio in Indian Orchards in Springfield, MA, Beaudoin creates her signature jewelry, using mostly recycled sterling silver sheet metal and found objects. Some of her most unique pieces revolve around computer pieces, like her “Esc Key” ring. “I thought it was a really great concept to have an escape key on my finger. It definitely works for the technology age that we’re living in.”

You can find Beaudoin’s intensely unique pieces through her websites,
www.creativedexterity.com and www.etsy.com/shop/creativedexterity, and should also check out www.oakboston.com for more of her wares.

Also, be sure to visit www.worcester.edu/WCC
for course listings, especially Beaudoin’s “Friday Night Fun ~ Making A Silver Ring” class, starting in April!