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Matthew Hollern is a professor in the Jewelry + Metals Department at CIA. He earned an MFA from Tyler School of Art, and his work is included in galleries around the world. One of the things he loves about being an artist is embracing old and new technologies and materials—both in his own work and in the classroom. He answered a few questions for us about being an artist and his Pre-College course.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO IS EXCITED BUT ALSO A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT TAKING YOUR CLASS?

Our class is a fantastic art and design experience that allows each student to express their own ideas, while learning new things about 3D design, 3D printing, and making jewelry, sculpture, wearable art, and alternative fashion. Our students create an amazing array of works in just two weeks.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR ART DISCIPLINE?

My focus on research and new possibilities in jewelry and material studies has allowed me to explore new ways to design and make work. We are living in an extraordinary period where we can embrace old and new technologies and materials, which allows us to create new and novel hybrids that are very exciting and emotional.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS TO BE A REAL ARTIST?

You have to be fully engaged in the work and always move forward. Great art is a by-product of meaningful inquiry, insight, exploration, and risk. To be truly significant, art must reinvent, function, provoke, communicate, and reflect the time from which it emerges.

TELL US ABOUT ONE MOMENT WHEN YOU AWARE OF FEELING REALLY SUCCESSFUL OR HAPPY IN YOUR WORK.

I have been working to combine the old with the new all of life. My recent work has been the most challenging as I include 3D printed parts with my traditional techniques to create real hybrid objects that make sense at this time in our history.

WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST?

It is an emotional life, and that is what makes it a great challenge, to take that emotion and use it to do great things. It is both a privilege and a responsibility.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU KNEW WHEN YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL?

There are literally millions of careers in art and design, and our society, our culture, and the planet need creatives to solve problems and to make the world a better place.

To learn more about CIA's Pre-College courses, including 3D Printing + Wearable Art, click here.