Meet the Lost Civilizations Winner: Bettina Hauser, Beginner Category
Lost Civilizations Challenge
Introduction: The Beginner Winner
Bettina Hauser won the Beginner category of the Lost Civilizations Challenge with her reliquary pendant “Arados, Past to Future.” The sterling silver metal clay piece frames an original Phoenician bronze coin from Arados dating to around 100 B.C. The jurors noted that it has a strong design and an antique, just-discovered feel. It is two-sided, and both sides are unique and interesting. Her thorough research enables the viewer (or wearer!) to envision this world.
Bettina’s Story
Bettina lives in Ihrlerstein, a countryside community in the middle of Bavaria, Germany. Nearby are the picturesque Altmühl Valley, the Danube Gorge at Weltenburg, the city of Kelheim and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Regensburg. She first learned about metal clay about 15 years ago when she took a silversmithing course. She continued with traditional silver work for a while, then took a break. When she decided about two years ago to return to creative work, she researched metal clay, including through the AMCAW Learning Center, and ordered her first package of clay.
When asked about working in other mediums, Bettina said she has created necklaces from various beads, especially those of African and Moroccan or Berber origin, but so far she hasn’t mixed metal clay with beading — yet. She challenges herself to keep learning by researching topics of interest online or in books, which usually leads to trying things out. She works mostly on her own and turns to her local metal clay shop for support. Metal clay courses are available in her area, but regional certification courses are few.
For Lost Civilizations, Bettina researched historically wealthy and influential civilizations and what we can learn from them for the future. She found an original bronze coin from Arados and, captivated by its timeless inscription, embedded it in her piece. Further research led her to the fascinating role of Arados as the last outpost of Phoenician culture in an increasingly Hellenistic world. Arados may have lost its political independence, language and former culture, but it still exists today as Arwad, and its legacy continues to influence the island’s people. The writing on the reverse of the reliquary reads “from past times into the future.”
She began by using paste for the first time to draw on the greenware, and she mimicked the appearance of an old, worn object with patinas that were partly removed and partly polished. The front of the coin depicts a Phoenician warship. The coin setting takes the form of an eye looking at the past, while the ship sails on a moving sea, navigating by ancient routes marked by the stars. On the reverse, mother-of-pearl is set off-center in a small sky, illustrating the moon and stars progressing into a future constellation.
This was also the first time Bettina used ChatGPT to support her creative process, researching the history of the coin as well as how the phrase “from past to future” would look in Phoenician script. She found ChatGPT helpful for historical insights, and it also pointed her to some interesting technical and mechanical approaches she might explore in the future. She wasn’t sure how the hollow, weighty piece would hold up during firing, but ChatGPT recommended loosely filling the inside with coconut shell carbon and sealing it with an anti-shrinkage compound, which worked well. If she made a similar piece, she might experiment with different patinas and gold effects.
Bettina won one of AMCAW’s Beginner’s Challenges in 2024. She wanted to enter this challenge because she found the topic interesting and stimulating, though she wasn’t sure her metal clay knowledge would be enough. She thinks artists should enter these challenges because they focus creativity on one topic shared by all participants, and it’s fun to see how other artists translate the same theme into completely different art.
Bettina doesn’t currently have any social media links — we hope to see some in the future!
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