Did you know that AMCAW is managed and run by a large team of volunteers? All metal clay artists, they share their professional skills and energy to help AMCAW create and bring you more programs, tutorials, and fun. We thought you’d enjoy meeting some of these fabulous volunteers – and perhaps become a volunteer yourself!
Brandy got her start in metal clay when she bought a starter kit in late 1999 or early 2000. She was terrified to fire the pieces she made – there was such a small amount of clay with the kit, and she was concerned about doing it wrong and about the piece not being well done. Because the instructions were in Japanese, she was not confident in what she was doing. So, she sat on it for a little while, then once she finally fired it, she was hooked! Eventually she found some other people who were interested in metal clay, and they brought in an instructor from Florida who certified Brandy for her first and second PMC certifications. Before that, she had been doing a lot of beaded and wire-wrapped jewelry, especially historical reproduction styles. Metal clay allowed her to really dig in and create some pieces that were inspired by the art history classes she was taking at the time.
Brandy took as many classes as she could, and in 2006 she was asked by people who were new to metal clay if she would teach a class. She had so much fun sharing the things that she had learned through trial and error and the things that she’d learned through certification that she continued teaching. Brandy taught regularly through an adult education program and was constantly experimenting and coming up with new techniques, or new ways to do existing techniques.
These days, Brandy is working with metal clay and milled metal and the different ways to combine the two. She also works with metal clay and different kinds of enamels. More recently, she has been experimenting with the new Project X clays to make mokume gane and determining the correct firing schedules.
Like many of us, Brandy’s journey to becoming a metal clay instructor meandered a bit. She started college as a biomedical engineering major with the goal of working in prosthetics and integrating technology and the body. She was a little ahead of her time for things like 3D printing. She fell in love with art history through a general requirement class and graduated with a degree in art history with the intention of becoming a professor of medieval manuscripts. She became sidetracked while working during college and wound up being a hardware specialist and process engineer in the electronics industry. She left that world in 2023 to be a full-time metal smithing and metal clay instructor. She eventually wound up being both the engineer that she’d started college for and the teacher that she’d finished college planning to be.
Brandy’s favorite class was a book locket class Wanaree Tanner taught at Art Clay World in Chicago. Wanaree had such a vibrant energy that she brought to metal clay. Brandy learned so much about making metal clay work for her and how to work with the intrinsic properties of the clay. Brandy is looking forward to taking a class at Sinter 2026. She loved being at Sinter 2022 and being a proctor for Ana Mazon — Ana is another amazing instructor with just so much creative vision. While Brandy loved being part of that class and that experience, she wants a 100% creative vacation where she just gets to play and learn and be a sponge.
When a conversation was had at MCAS about creating AMCAW, Brandy knew she wanted to be involved. She volunteered immediately once the call for volunteers was put out. She knew she had to be part of it because it was so important to further establish the legitimacy of metal clay as a medium in the arts, build the community, and keep the ball rolling with knowledge, education, and awareness of metal clay.
Currently, Brandy is the lead for the education team and is a member of the archive team. The education team is working on creating in-depth articles for members that are a little more detailed and technique specific than most of the public articles currently in the learning center. The archive team is recording the history of metal clay, and Brandy helps out where needed and is assisting with working out the scope of the project and some of the technical requirements. Brandy is also on the executive committee, serving as Secretary beginning in 2025.
Brandy loves the community that exists at AMCAW. She has the pleasure of working with one of the greatest groups of people she’s ever known on the education team, and she’s getting to know the people on the archive team better. She loves how we have all come from so many different backgrounds and so many diverse fields, but we are drawn together by our passion for and love of metal clay.
Brandy Boyd wears many hats, but metalsmith and teacher are her favorites. Empowering people to explore their creative potential, connect with the world around them through making, and passing on the knowledge of how to do that are driving forces for her. She hopes to inspire the curiosity that was nurtured in her in others, regardless of age or walk of life.
Connect with Brandy:
Website: www.bmb-designs.com
Instagram: bmb_designs
Facebook: BMBDesignsArtJewelry
