Sydney Brown was born in Santa Barbara, California. She attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where she earned a Bachelors degree in Fine Art Sculpture.

Over the past eight years, Sydney has exhibited and curated shows around the country. As an artist, she is often driven by a desire to translate internal emotional experiences into physical form and language. As a curator, Sydney approaches each project as an opportunity to expand what is being seen and heard in her immediate art community.

Currently, Sydney lives and works in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, IL. There she divides her time between her small jewelry business, working in the home healthcare field, and organizing Revolution Craft Show in Chicago. The Revolution Craft Show is a tri-annual show co-founded and curated with friend and fellow metalsmith, Maia Leppo.

Questions and Answers:  

1. What are your interests in running for the board and what are you hoping to gain from your experience as a SNAG board member?

I have been a working metalsmith for 10 years now. Creating in a solitary studio and gaining experience in various small community projects definitely has its perks. I have enjoyed getting to know myself , specifically who I am as an artist outside of the classroom and without constant feedback. However, I have come to a point in the process where I am ready to be thrown back into a community of artists who believe in a common goal. As a small business owner and someone with hopes and dreams of growing more opportunities in my home community , I see great value in being a part of what happens behind the SNAG that we all see regularly. I hope to gain a better understanding of what it takes to be successful and helpful in a organization of this size and with its particular history. I am excited to make new friends and connections that will be of mutual growth and service to our community as well as personal life experience.

2. What expertise, experience, and strengths will you bring and how will these qualities benefit the organization?

I have made it a personal life goal to collaborate. I make efforts to see marriage, friendship and art making as a huge collaboration. I believe that growing up in a large family, participating in residency programs that emphasize community and sharing, as well as actively creating in collaboration with other artists have molded me into an excellent communicator. While I am eager to succeed as an individual I am also eager to see and support the success of other individuals and the art community as a whole. I am very direct but do so with kindness and productivity as my priorities.

I believe that my communication skills, my ability to work with others, and my experience in co-creating a growing curated craft show in Chicago, make me well suited to join the board of SNAG. I will bring organizational and community building skills to the table. I will also bring sincerity, an open mind, and an eagerness to grow, learn and give support.

3. What projects, activities, and/or services do you think are important to the organization?  

The first thing that comes to mind is connecting state and city localized guilds to SNAG. The ability to help the smaller groups get more momentum and interest would seem to be a great asset. As a student I found Metalsmith magazine and SNAG newsletters extremely helpful and inspiring. I have loved seeing the push for members to complete member profiles, as they are such a great networking tool. Ultimately, I believe SNAG should be a platform for informing the public of innovations and progress in the metalsmithing community. I think it is most important that we continue to be a forum that provides artists with the opportunity to use their unique voices.

For information on all candidates, click here