Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

Rae-Edzo (Dec 13/99) - Nine people joined up for the four-month Jewelry and Metalwork Program offered at Rae-Edzo's Aurora College at the beginning of the year.

This month, the same nine people graduate from the course after a second four-month stint.

Allyson Simmie, sharing the instructor role with Willa Drummond, started out with the students in January and will now watch them graduate.

"I was struck by the rise in confidence," she says about what she saw in her students when she returned this winter.

"Both in terms of the maturity towards the work and also in terms of skill level. In January and February, I had to push hard to get things done, now it gets done like magic."

Learning to work with metal in order to create perfectly finished and beautiful pieces of jewelry is difficult. The students attest to it.

"It was frustrating," says Jessica Football about her early days as a student.

"The hardest thing was when you had to start all over again. But you learn from your mistakes."

Fellow student Ray McSwain agrees.

"It was challenging at the beginning. I figured it would be difficult, but once you put your mind to it and learn the skills, it comes natural."

Simmie, who has been making jewelry for almost 15 years, remembers her first days working with metal.

"It's only in the last two or three years that I've felt any degree of confidence. I mean, I wasn't running around melting things. But it takes time."

Time to learn about the properties of the metal, for example. Sterling silver, copper and brass all have their own "character." One is harder, one is softer, one can burn, one gets sticky.

The tools, as well as the processes, must be mastered.

McSwain, for example, who used to follow all the steps, now feels secure enough to do things his own way.

"You do the design on tracing paper, you glue it (on the metal) and cut it (the metal). Now I just scratch it (the design) into the metal. It's challenging to do freehand."

McSwain is one of several students who has a visual arts background. He's been drawing and painting for some time. Antoine Beaulieu is also an artist. The others, Nora Ekendia, Mabel Migwi, Jessica Football, Rose Bailey, Nora Beaverho have a lot of sewing and beading experience. Antoine Betsidea and Lloyd Bishop came to the program with a carving background.

Rae-Edzo's program started out as a trial program. Inuvik now has one. And in Nunavut, Arctic College has been running the jewelry program since 1989 in several communities.

Since 1995, Arctic College stages a show in the south.

"They've been doing shows in southern galleries. The shows are getting larger and larger. This year, it's a Spirit Wrestler Gallery in Vancouver," says Simmie.

All the Northern Jewelry and Metalwork programs will participate this year, including the Rae-Edzo students.

"It's extremely professional," Simmie says.

Her students are currently raising funds so that some of them can go to Vancouver next June. The trip will offer students the opportunity to meet other jewellers, from the North and south, as well as suppliers.

Most of the students have applied for grants to buy equipment, tools and material to in order to pursue jewelry-making. All of them hope to return for another year of learning more advanced skills.

McSwain sums up the feeling of most, "I've got thousands of ideas and I just want to get them out now."