Brooklyn Museum Workshop: Solid Gold Foil

Two part workshop hosted in partnership with the Brooklyn Museum.

Saturday, February 28th. 11 AM - 4:30 PM.

Gold is the most malleable metal with the capacity to be hammered into incredibly thin sheets of foil or leaf. This allows for artists to use such a precious metal sparingly, while maintaining the beauty and functionality of this rare element. Gold is valued for many reasons, one being that it does not oxidize or tarnish in its pure state, letting its rich hue remain true over time. Gold also has an affinity to work well with certain other elements, including pure silver and copper, which it likes to bond with under ideal conditions. In historic jewelry and metalsmithing a technique was discovered that allows very thin gold foil to be pressure welded to sheet metal using low heat and steel or agate burnishers. This decorative technique can be seen the world over and is often employed to great effect when used on materials that can be oxidized or darkened to show off the gold luster.

In this two part workshop, explore the conceptual and physical properties of this valuable material. Starting at the Brooklyn Museum, tour the special exhibition Solid Gold and learn about the element’s symbolism across mediums. Hear from exhibition curator Matthew Yokobosky about ways that artists have used gold to both create beautiful objects and critique society. After lunch, we will regroup at BKMW for a three hour workshop led by Erin Daily. Participants will be looking at artists such as Agnes Martin, Titus Kaphar, Gordon Hart, and others who build up surface patterns using gold leaf. Our objective is to create a wearable pendant using similar techniques in gold foil and sheet silver or copper. Participants will be working with small squares and rectangles of gold to develop individual patterns that will be permanently bonded to the surface for a lasting effect. Embossed and stamped surface textures will also be used. These processes will use some torchwork and hammering as well as cutting and filing operations in addition to plier work.

This workshop will use 24K Fairmined gold foil. Fairmined is an assurance label that certifies gold from empowered responsible artisanal and small-scale mining organizations who meet world leading standards for responsible practices. 

Schedule
11 am–12 pm Curator tour of Solid Gold
12–1:30 pm Lunch break
1:30–4:30 pm Gold foil workshop at Brooklyn Metal Works