From Metalsmithing to Storytelling: Sharon Massey on the Girls That Create Podcast

In this episode of the Girls that Create podcast on Word of Mom Radio, host Erin Prather Stafford chatted with Sharon Massey, a metalsmith, jeweler and co-founder of Studio Stream. Their conversation explores Massey’s artistic journey, her passion for community-based projects, and the concept behind Studio Stream, a mobile workshop and recording studio.

Listen to the full interview with Sharon Massey on Word of Mom Radio. 

Massey’s artistic journey began with an art teacher in middle school who recognized her talent and encouraged her creativity pusuits. This mentorship continued through high school and college, fostering Massey’s passion for art and leading her to a career in jewelry making and metalsmithing.

Mobile Workshop and Recording Studio

Massey started Studio Stream with her Indiana University of Pennsylvania colleague Sean Derry. Both see the project as more than just a radio station; it’s a platform for self-expression and skill development.

“We wanted this project to provide opportunities for rural kids who may never have had exposure to this kind of technology, electronics, or audio recording, and demystify it,” said Massey. “We teach them soldering, which has been new to every participant. We teach them how to build a Bluetooth speaker. We teach them how to record original audio content, from poems to podcasts. We make sure all students are contributing. It’s really fulfilling and rewarding for them.”

More About Sharon Massey

Sharon Massey is a metalsmith, jeweler and enamellist whose artwork has been exhibited in over 100 juried and invitational exhibitions around the world. Her work has been included in numerous publications, including American Craft and Metalsmith magazines, The Art of Enameling, and Art Jewelry Today 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions. Massey’s work is included in eleven public collections including the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery.

In addition to being a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she has been invited to teach workshops at Penland School of Craft, Haystack Mountain School for Crafts, the 92nd St Y in NYC, the Baltimore Jewelry Center and at universities around the US. Massey received a BFA from Winthrop University in 1999, and an MFA from East Carolina University in 2006.

Her research interests include historical jewelry and adornment as well as new approaches to education and making with emerging technologies. Massey is a co-founder of Local X Change, a collaboration with artist Sean Derry that seeks to democratize art and technology through public projects that combine design, technology and civic engagement.

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