THE TEAM
JAY ELIAS
Owner at Evolution Art Studio
Project conceptualization and design
Mold making and pattern making
Furnace design and fabrication
Operational procedures of cupola style and crucible melt furnaces
TESTIMONIALS
"I had the honor of Jay Elias' mentorship for a couple months in preparation for his art residency program. Jay is a beacon for many in that he turns the darkness he has experienced into light for others, myself included. He is a great leader to those around him, and is able to keep a positive tune no matter how hard it rains. Jay, and Evolution Art Studio, are assets to the world no matter where they are or go, and serve as a hot furnace on a winter day for the people of Detroit.
Jay has created a program that fully harnesses the healing properties of metal. Ideation, mold making, and casting act as a personal and communal emotional gauntlet. A participant or artist enters the space with an idea that inevitably gets shaped by the environment into a completely separate piece. The form or concept may change, but the lesson of acceptance remains. In addition to emotional acceptance, the process connects the participant with their hands as they learn new mold making techniques; each new technique or movement pushes one to be in the present moment.
Because of foundry I have learned new skillsets, traveled new places, made new friends, and found out how to use my voice in tense situations.