Steeped in rich tradition, the art of Judaica provides a powerful sense of history and culture. No one knows this better than metal artist Joy Stember. “With my Judaica, I want people to have a renewed sense of spirituality and see my work as a contemporary heirloom for their family.”

As the daughter of a jewelry designer, art has always been a part of Stember’s life. She began taking art classes at age 5, won numerous art competitions, and worked in ceramics and metal studios throughout her teenage years. Originally interested in clay, she attended Temple University’s Tyler School of Art because of its renowned ceramics department. While there, however, she realized that metal was her true calling—“With metal, the possibilities are endless,” she says. She spent her summers supplementing her education with courses at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, where she was a teacher’s assistant in the metals department.

She completed her degree in 2006 and established the Joy Stember Metal Arts Studio, then took a trip to Israel. While exploring the ancient country, she visited Tzfat, Israel’s art capital, and Ein Hood, an artists community near Mt. Carmel. The experience gave her an incredible reference point for Israeli crafts. “After returning, I realized it was my life’s calling to make Judaica.,” she explains.

Inspired by urban landscapes, Stember’s unique designs push the boundaries of traditional Jewish pieces. She begins her process by creating a working drawing, then tracing the pattern onto pewter, brass, bronze, silver or copper. By adding different textures, the pieces take on a contemporary look. After scoring, folding and soldering the metal, each piece is cleaned and tumble finished to give it a polished look.

A 2011 and 2011 finalist in the NICHE Awards, as well as the Rio Grande Saul Bell Design Awards in 2008, Stember’s future is bright. She just opened a new studio and shop in Abington, Pa., and plans on expanding her line to include non-Judaica items for the home, as well as jewelry she will create with her father, whom she considers her inspiration. As things change, the one constant is her love of metal. “Simply put,” she says, “metal is my life.”

Virginia McKinney’s clay-and-steel sculptures recall everything from Native American dwellings to Asian passageways. Small notches indicate doors and windows; steel ladders lead to unexplored rooms. “I’m intrigued by the idea of the dwelling, of a sense of place,” she says.

McKinney is a relatively new full-time studio artist. She spent more than 20 years teaching different mediums at various schools, while taking classes to further her skills in metal. She chose to “jump off the cliff,” she says, when she found herself freshly divorced with two children in college: in 2003, McKinney moved to Gatlinburg, Tenn., to become an artist in residence at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. “I quit teaching and said, ‘This is it,’ ” she explains.

But don’t expect her to stay out of school: McKinney is now the campus liaison at Arrowmont, and lives in an apartment on the edge of the school’s grounds. She’s also enrolled at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pa., for her master’s in ceramics. “I am a perpetual student,” she says. “Both sides of the desk can be very exciting.”

McKinney describes her work as “a dance between the steel and clay.” She starts a series in her ceramics studio, hand-building red earthenware clay into a dozen forms and bisque firing by the kiln load. Then she moves into her blacksmithing studio and forges steel forms for each piece, hammering and shaping, fitting the bisque pieces into their respective supports.

Then it’s time to return to the clay studio to glaze—not an uncomplicated process. If you look closely, you’ll notice flecks of different colors in any given glaze; that’s because she layers slips, stains and glazes until she achieves depth in the colors. After the final firing, McKinney matches the clay with the steel, which is sanded, primed and painted. “You’d think steel would be heavy, but it lifts up the clay and gives it life,” she explains. “The work has a visceral feel, a strength to it.”

“My work will always be evolving,” McKinney says. Her graduate work is in unglazed porcelain—“I keep thinking about how I could incorporate it.”

Crescent Moon at The Cotton Exchange

Joan and Mike Loch, co-owners
Wilmington, N.C.

How do this year’s sales compare to recent years’? Are you seeing a consistent decline or a slow improvement?

We are below last year approximately 22% and approximately 32% behind 2007. Starting in July of this year we have seen a consistent improvement, and we anticipate making up for the sluggish first part of 2009 during the upcoming holiday season.

Are you projecting more positive numbers for 2010? What are you doing now to keep customers shopping?

Yes, absolutely. We continue to do what we do well, and that is build relationships with our customers and offer great customer service.

Have you tried any new promotions in the last two quarters?

We are very small in square footage, so in-store events are not feasible for us. We have become the gallery for local glass artists, now totaling 10, and that has provided us several avenues of promotion.

How has the economy affected your marketing budget? Are you adding, subtracting or keeping an even keel?

We have literally stopped all print ads. But we can afford to do that because we are located in a historic group of buildings that houses 26 shops and four restaurants with a merchants’ association that has a decent budget to promote the entire complex.

What we have increased is our networking. Our name recognition has increased considerably with our Facebook and Twitter presence, and with meeting new people at local networking functions.

What changes did you make to your inventory mix during the economic downturn? What types of items are selling best right now?

Prior to the economic downturn we were 90% art glass and 10% metal sculpture, and we only had four local artists out of our normal 70 artists on display. We have increased our metal artists and our local artists. We found our functional art sales have increased, including items such as fan pulls, wine stoppers, bowls and vases.