WEBSITE

INSTAGRAM

Artist Statement:

Addison de Lisle explores the evolution of formal craft disciplines from improvisation with found objects. In a sea of ‘products’, it is easy to forget that not only do materials derive from the natural world, but so too must the inspiration for craft itself. Observation of nature surely planted the seeds for the containers, covers, supports, and tools that populate the historical and contemporary craft landscape.

De Lisle’s work contrast found objects and natural forms with silver to hint at the origins of material culture, elevating them from innocuous to prized by association with precious metal. The ambiguity of the raw material within these finished pieces questions the act of making and the role of Craft in contemporary society.

Bio:

Addison de Lisle earned his BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry at the Maine College of Art in 2011. After graduating, he apprenticed with a blacksmith two years and was awarded a yearlong fellowship in fine metalwork at the Fondation de Coubertin in France in 2014. Following this program he enrolled in the graduate program at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and received his MFA in 2018. He has attended numerous workshops and residencies around the country.

As Professor of Blacksmithing at the American College of the Building Arts from 2018-2021, de Lisle contributed to major renovations to the blacksmithing facilities and curriculum, and developed courses for ferrous and non-ferrous metalworking and design. From 2021-2023 he worked as Programs Director at Pocosin Arts in Columbia, North Carolina, where he oversaw major renovations to the studios and the revival of summer workshops and community classes for youths and adults after a twoyear pause during the pandemic.

de Lisle has led many workshops at notable craft centers including Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School of Craft, Touchstone Center for Crafts, Appalachian Center for Craft, John C. Campbell Folk School, and the Center for Metal Arts. He exhibits his work nationally and internationally, and has been featured in exhibitions including 40 Under 40: The Next Generation of American Metal Artists at the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN in 2019. Noteworthy commissions include the Unitarian Church in Charleston, the Sette of Odd Volumes Society, Warren Lasch Conservation Center, and the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Museum. In 2024, he was awarded the Belvedere Handcraft Fellowship by the Maine Arts Commission in recognition of artistic excellence. He works as Contributing Editor & Designer of The Anvil's Ring, a quarterly publication of the Artist- Blacksmith's Association of North America, and maintains an independent studio practice.

On winning a Maine Artist Fellowship:

I am honored to receive the Belvedere Handcraft Award. As an artist working in a rural area and independent from an institution, recognition from the Maine Arts Commission is both validating and helps me feel connected to the community of artists across the state. Additionally, in an age of instant gratification and next-day deliveries, it is encouraging that labor-intensive, deliberate, and timeconsuming work is considered worthwhile. Developing new work for self-expression rather than as a commodity is a challenging and often thankless endeavor, with no anticipated return on the time and resources invested. It is also a privilege, and I am grateful for the fellowship funding that will facilitate this endeavor. I am eager to blur the traditional boundaries between metalsmithing, blacksmithing, and digital fabrication by making pieces that combine these seemingly disparate fields, and continue my inquiry into the intersection of craft and nature.

Artist Image Gallery: