{"product_id":"uoqzmby5um23xxrzwkm6v46t-bill-helwig-enamel-tile-cross-series","title":"Bill Helwig: Enamel Tile, Cross Series","description":"\u003cp\u003eBill Helwig, 4x4 Enameled Tile with Cross and Silver\/Gold Foils\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHarold B. “Bill” Helwig was born in Wellington, Kansas in 1938. From a young\u003cbr\u003e\nage, Helwig was encouraged by his grandparents to pursue a variety of interests\u003cbr\u003e\nand curiosities. Helwig enrolled in the Fort Hays Kansas State College (Hays,\u003cbr\u003e\nKS) Pre-Med program in 1956 before changing his major to Art two years later.\u003cbr\u003e\nHe initially focused on watercolor but would change direction once more when he\u003cbr\u003e\nfirst encountered enameling in 1959. Helwig taught himself the art of enameling\u003cbr\u003e\nusing trial and error, with Enameling Principles and Practice by Kenneth Bates\u003cbr\u003e\nas his guide. Experimenting with enamel would become a lifelong passion for\u003cbr\u003e\nHelwig.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHelwig became the Assistant Director of the Creative Craft Center at the\u003cbr\u003e\nState University of New York, Buffalo (Buffalo, NY) in 1964. In 1977, he\u003cbr\u003e\naccepted a job as the Head of the Vitrearc Division at the Ceramic Coating\u003cbr\u003e\nCompany (Newport, KY). He stayed with the company, which later acquired\u003cbr\u003e\nThompson Enamel, until 1985. Throughout his life, Helwig taught classes and\u003cbr\u003e\nworkshops at SUNY Buffalo, Penland School of Craft (Bakersville, NC), Arrowmont\u003cbr\u003e\nSchool of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN), and Haystack Mountain School of\u003cbr\u003e\nCrafts (Deer Isle, ME).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1982, Helwig cofounded Glass on Metal magazine and served as the\u003cbr\u003e\nmagazine’s first editor. Helwig served on the board of the Enamelist Society\u003cbr\u003e\nfrom 1991 to 1998 and was the recipient of the Society’s Creative Arts Award in\u003cbr\u003e\n2001. As an active member of the American Craft Council, Helwig chaired the\u003cbr\u003e\nNortheastern Regional Chapter Craft Fair (Bennington, VT) and organize a larger\u003cbr\u003e\nACC fair in Baltimore in 1977.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHelwig’s work has been included in exhibitions around the world including\u003cbr\u003e\nObjects: USA (1969). His pieces can be found in numerous private collections as\u003cbr\u003e\nwell as the permanent collections of the Metal Museum (Memphis, TN), the Museum\u003cbr\u003e\nof Arts and Design (New York, NY), and the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit,\u003cbr\u003e\nMI).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gary Helwig","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47397687591148,"sku":"consignor_6694","price":260.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0802\/3539\/7356\/files\/original_82a4e012-5c47-402c-bec4-49fdeeb87b8c.jpg?v=1773720322","url":"https:\/\/shop.metalmuseum.org\/products\/uoqzmby5um23xxrzwkm6v46t-bill-helwig-enamel-tile-cross-series","provider":"Metal Museum Retail Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}