2023 Board Members
CoMA is run by a volunteer board. We are all metalsmiths of varying stripes and believe that connecting artists is the key to building and maintaining our vibrant metal arts community in Colorado. Board members are elected at the Annual All Members meeting for two year terms even if they are appointed when positions become vacant before our Annual Meeting. If you are interested in joining the board or volunteering in another capacity (we can always use help!), contact our President, Kim Harrell, at president@coloradometalsmiths.org.
For 2023, the board will meet from 12:30 - 2 PM on the third Sunday of the month in February, March, April, May, June, September, October, and November. Traditionally, we hold a board retreat in January, and an annual members' meeting during our conference in July. Please note that dates and times are subject to change at short notice, but we will communicate such changes to our CoMA members.
Kim Harrell
President
I am a silversmith and jewelry artist who makes distinctly textured and clean-lined jewelry and silverware using precious metals and occasionally combined with unconventional materials such as felt, rubber and steel. I studied at the London Metropolitan University, Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Design where I obtained a B.A. in Silversmithing, Jewellery and Allied Crafts. I am a Denver native and currently reside in Aurora, CO where I run my studio and teach at The Art Students League of Denver. My work is available at RA Modern in Crested Butte; Mountain Home in Evergreen, and form+concept in Santa Fe, NM. My work is in several private collections in the USA and Europe. The Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art in Denver acquired a set of my spoons in their permanent collection.
I volunteer with CoMA because I love being part of a group of metalheads! It is such an important aspect of sustaining connection with colleagues, learning new things, sharing our knowledge and giving a hand up to the next generation.
Rynn Miller
Treasurer
I’m a metalsmith working in silver, gold, and luscious stones. I love the process – give me fire and red-hot metal any day. I also have to keep making jewelry to support my stone-buying obsession.
I love contributing to COMA because I have received so much from them it is time to give back!
Ryan Gardner
Conference Chair
I describe myself as a jewelry artist as well as a teacher of jewelry and lapidary techniques. I got into making jewelry when I was in college at Bowling Green State University. There I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Three Dimensional Studies with my focus being on jewelry and metalsmithing. After graduation I moved to Colorado to apprentice with Michael Boyd and later became his full time assistant. I worked for Michael for nearly 9 years working for myself on the side trying to build a collection of my own. In 2018 I went completely on my own for jewelry making and partnered with Michael in opening the Colorado Center for Metal Arts where we teach classes and host workshops in jewelry and lapidary techniques.
Liz Covert
Education Chair
Liz honed her skills while earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in small metals and sculpture. Inspired by the world around her, she continued her education with a Masters in Cultural Studies. Liz’s extensive experience in metal work includes welding, blacksmithing, and a career in sculpture conservation, including working at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Musem. Her teaching background ranges from first grade art classes to private jewelry lessons and has spanned over a decade. Currently she teaches a variety of inspiring metal art classes at Art Students League Denver, Silver Peak Studio, and Denver Tool Library.
I want to be a part of CoMA for connection to other like minded creatives and share my passion for learning.
Stephanie Dimmer
Exhibitions Chair
I love using different materials in my work to help file through thoughts and arrive at the final concept. I am trained in blacksmithing, metalsmithing, hot glass, and ceramics. I am currently engaged in combining those disciplines into sculptural canvases and forms. Following the completion of my undergraduate degree, I worked as a blacksmith for Geoffrey Newton Metalworks and then as a bench jeweler for Todd Reed in Boulder. I completed my MFA in Metals at Cranbrook Academy of Art and then I moved into a hot glass residency in North Carolina. I grew up in Denver but I now live in Strasburg which is about thirty minutes to the East where a small piece of land affords me a home studio and a micro farm.
I have been a CoMA member off and on since undergrad and I think the Conference draws a spectacular lineup of metalsmiths from around the country. I am volunteering on the CoMA Board because a few years ago I was just moving back to Colorado and I started getting invitations to join different shows through CoMA and it really helped me feel connected to the art scene here again. I hope that as Exhibitions Chair I am able to seek out new opportunities and keep that exciting momentum going within CoMA and for us as members.
Josiah Trujillo
Board Member-at-large
I am a jewelry and lapidary artist in southern Colorado working out of the Colorado Center for Metal Arts. I got my start in metal working while attending college. It was during that time I began to apprentice with Michael Boyd and have worked for him as his assistant for the last 7 years. Inspired by the natural world I like to incorporate organic elements in my designs and fabricate metal in a way that reflects those natural forms. In doing so I aim to achieve movement and shapes found in nature.
Kristin Smith
Board Support - Administrative Assistant
I hold a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from MSU-Denver with a focus in drawing and ceramics. I worked for the Center for Visual Art in Denver, CO as a Gallery Assistant, Student Curator, and Gallery Coordinator. I have been the with CoMA since September 2021, this role allows me to utilize my 20 years of administrative experience which spans a broad spectrum of industries, and satisfies my love of supporting other artists as I build my own art practice.