Instructors and Collaborators
Meet the Team
Jerome Le Blanc
Director
Jerome Le Blanc has acquired more than thirty years of experience in management and business development in the music industry, visual communications, decorative lighting and custom jewellery sales. Jerome studied Commercial Photography at Dawson College and Political Science at Concordia University in Montreal.
Gustavo Estrada
Academic Director and Instructor
Gustavo has been working in the Metal Arts since 1994 and his creations have been showcased over twenty times in galleries, museums and salons in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and New York. Through his teaching Gustavo is always rediscovering the forms and foundations of the creative process in the art of Jewellery Making…
Cynthia Hawkes
Instructor
Cynthia Hawkes studied in a BA program at UNB in Fredericton, New Brunswick. While there she became passionately involved with dance and spent many years in Toronto, New York, and finally in Ottawa, training and preforming. After settling in Montreal and having children she switched her attention from dance to jewellery and another passion was discovered. Cynthia completed a specialized, contemporary jewellery program at the Saidye Bronfman School of Fine Arts…
Andrew Floyd
Instructor
Andrew Floyd is a Montreal born and based jeweller. His interest in the craft arose while he studied under the jewellery artist Enid Kaplan at Concordia’s Design Art program. Enid encouraged Andrew to continue his studies at FIT’s Jewelry Design Program. He then went on to pursue an MFA in Metal Arts at SUNY New Paltz where he not only deepened his knowledge of metal arts but also developed his critical thinking skills…
Kyung Sun, Lim
Instructor
“Art is too important not to share" - Romero Britto
Always an artist at heart, Kyung's keen eye and whimsical sense of style are a fundamental part of her esoterically holistic approach to design. She began taking jewellery-making courses over 10 years ago and has studied at Ecole de Joaillerie de Montreal, in addition to obtaining a diploma at EMSOM in jewellery making.
Norsola Johnson
Instructor
Norsola is a metal smith, designer, composer, musician, traveller, stargazer, 3D modeller, new media artist, motorcycle enthusiast, student of religion and esotericism, and ex-ballerina, among a few other things. Active in the world of metal arts for almost twenty years, she studied Computation Arts at Concordia University and earned a DEP in Jewellery at Ecole des Metiers du Sud-Ouest-de-Montréal. Combining her passion for these myriad fields, her practice explores the endless possibilities for traditional jewellery creation in the digital age.
Samy Douma
Instructor
A lifelong enthusiast of sculpting and drawing, Samy studied jewelry making, a discipline for which he has discovered a real passion. Among other things, this passion enables him to materialize his ideas in ways he'd never imagined before. A graduate of the École de joaillerie de Montréal, he specializes in 3D jewelry design in all its forms, and is also practicing gem-setting.
Deborah Wright
Assistant Instructor
A force of productive inquisitiveness led Deborah Wright through academia to Atelier Artefact. At Concordia University she obtained a BFA in Art Education (Studio Art); at Ecole des metiers du Sud-Ouest-de-Montréal she completed the DEP in Bijouterie-joaillerie; and at Ecole de Joaillerie de Montréal she continues to take professional development courses such as Le bijou éthique and Sertissage.
Emilie Guillaume
Setter of Precious Stones
Emilie is a jeweller and setter by training. She studied in France and began her career as a gem setter in Paris in one of the best workshops in the capital, working for the jewellers of the famous Place Vendôme. Settled in Quebec since 2014, she opened her workshop, “ émigé. “ She offers both her services as a setter for professionals, and the making of jewellery for individuals. Eager to pass on her know-how, she joined the Artefact workshop to teach the art of setting
Gayane Avetisyan
Instructor of Enamel
I was born in Armenia, a country with a rich tradition of the arts. It is in this environment of a broad range of cultural and historical legacies that I spent my formative years. I was fortunate to study as a child among well-known artists working and living in Armenia. Outside of school, I trained at the National Centre for Fine Arts, specializing in painting, print making and pottery. By the time I graduated in 1994, I was teaching graphic arts and monotype at an innovative and experimental school launched in Armenia at the 5me of its independence. I have since continued my education in Armenia and abroad.
Margaret Griffin
Materials Exploration Instructor
Margaret is an artist who works in clay, wood, textiles and other materials that have long human histories. Her ceramic works, often hand-built vessel forms, are informed by her interest in archaeology and the art histories of the non-Western world. Her recent work in metal and lost wax casting draws on the same sources.
Ania Szneps
Social Media Coordinator
Ania has been taking jewelry classes at The Montreal Academy of Metal Arts since May 2021. Still very much a novice, her practice centers on learning the different metal-crafting techniques and mastering the various materials commonly used in jewelry making. The metal arts have offered a new and exciting creative outlet, and it is one that shapes Ania beyond the studio’s walls.
Julia Bustos-Vasquez
Promotions and Events Manager
Julia Bustos-Vasquez comes from a lineage of musicians, artisans and creatives. Armed with a professional jewellers diploma from EMSOM, Julia’s artistic practice combines jewelry techniques with sculptural elements to convey social, cultural and political messaging. Julia hand assembles her pieces, many of which have been exhibited across North America.
