Derek Brown Interns at Master Craftsman Studios

from FSU Art BA ’19 Derek Brown:

“My time, so far, spent working with the wonderful and talented people at Master Craftsman studios has been nothing short of amazing! As a student who is getting the chance to work with people who are both, well experienced and a part of the field that I am learning to work in. I keep thinking of how unbelievable this opportunity truly is.

Master Craftsman Studios is a fabrication team that is a part of Florida State University. The team works on anything from signs and FSU’s Stone benches, all the way to stained glass and detailed bronze statues. Through the course of this semester, I have personally gotten the chance to work on two major projects and several smaller projects. The major projects include the Double Tree chandelier, which is a large aluminum tree that is covered with epoxy clay that is textured and painted to look like a real tree. It will also have electrical wiring to make the tree light up over the hotel bar. The second major project is the FSU Dancers sculpture restoration. The FSU Dancers are abstract forms that are on an outdoor site on campus. The FSU Dancer sculptures have been slowly been falling apart due to their exposure outdoors and in need of restoration for some time. These projects have taught me a lot about working on a schedule to complete a work and many technical skills that come with working with the materials on site.

Along with working on commissioned works, Master Craftsman Studios also gave me the opportunity to work on personal projects that I may have. Through that, I have learned new skills such as: wax casting, plaster casting, aluminum welding, and much more. It is this freedom combined with working on commissioned works that has given me an experience that I don’t think I could’ve found anywhere else in Tallahassee. I hope this post has shed some light on what this internship can do and what Master Craftsman Studios can do as well.”