Just finished Metalsmithing II and love this school. This is the most professionally run business…read morein the world of art classes I have ever experienced. Everything about the school is organized, ordered and first-class, especially the instruction. (Re: the negative review: It's not called attitude when it's true accomplishment. This is so rare that amateurs can't recognize it.)
For the investment in the class fee + tools/supplies, I appreciated having such a structured environment in which to learn. Darlene Armstrong, owner/artist/teacher emeritus, has a definite point of view about craftsmanship. And, yes, it is her way or the highway. But who wants to take a class from a teacher who always says, "Sure,you can do it that way if you want; it's your art," when you don't know what the hell you're doing??
So if you are not a serious student of metal work or are just looking for something fun to waste a few hours, don't waste your time/$$ or the school's. But if you want to get better with your art (and learn how to make pieces that are commercially viable), this is the place to learn it the way all apprentices used to--doing it over and over till you get it right.
I have been on an ongoing quest for good metalsmithing instruction for the past 10 years and use my vacation time to travel around the country taking classes. On a scale of 1 - 10, I've taken classes that were advertised as 10s that were barely 3s (one last year by a "name" artist who hated to, thus couldn't, teach.). I've also taken classes that I'd rate as 7-8 because they were super fun, but not all that special in my goal to "further my art."
DSMA is an 11 because it hit the mark on excellent instruction, excellent venue, excellent design selection (ie., we worked on pieces you'd actually want to wear in real life). This is the only course I have taken in 10 years that had a teaching assistant because there were 11 of us in class (a large number for learning anything with a torch.) That told me that Darlene really cared that every student maximized her knowledge. In fact, Mary Ann was a great bonus to have, because besides the teacher, you always learn from other students who are better than you. Frankly, I over-estimated my own ability, based on my past experience with mediocre teachers. If it hadn't been for Mary Ann, I would have been left behind (something that Darlene did try to emphasize to me before I registered).
Part of how I judge the success of my class experience is whether I am inspired to continue to the next level. With Metalsmithing II I was inspired to lower my self-assessment and go back to Metalsmithing I...with DSMA. Sort of a "not knowing what I didn't know." I love that.
The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because I felt I was not well enough prepared for the teacher's expectations ahead of time. It was a big personal value of Darlene's that everyone show up on time and come prepared. I suppose it was up to me to ask more questions about what to expect (and Jennifer who handles all the admin did a super job of sending me tool lists and answering the questions I did have). But when you are from out of town with no prior experience with the teacher or school policies that are so specific, I would have benefited from more of a walk-thru in advance. A simple page on the website of "What To Expect if This Is Your First Class" would have helped. Or a checklist for out of towners, too, like where to stay, how to order lunches, starting/ending studio times, etc.
For ex., at other multi-day workshops, lunch is usually provided or easy to procure. Because the school is in a business park in an industrial area, there are no good options for lunch to be ordered over the weekend, and everyone is on their own. I had to spend a lot of time figuring out how to find my own food for lunch (without a car), until Darlene recommended Whole Foods. The lovely people at the Hilton/Doubletree Westminster happily accommodated a quick stop for me with their free shuttle service. But had I known that ahead of time, I could have made those arrangements at the same time I set up the shuttle service, and had one less thing to worry about in an unfamiliar city. Not sure if DSMA wants more out of town students, but, if so, more hospitality would mean a lot. I know I'm not the only traveling class taker.
That's an easy fix, tho, and so I highly recommend this school.
