Technology drives FVCC's 3-D jewelry class

Flathead High School art teacher Wes Hines plans to take on a new dimension in his classroom - three-dimension art.

When Glacier High School opens next year, Hines, the chair of the Arts and Communication Career Cluster, plans to bring new skills he is learning in Flathead Valley Community College's three-dimensional jewelry design and modeling class to the new 3-D jewelry class at the high school.

Hines began teaching art 30 years ago and became interested in technology as it related to art in digital-image manipulation. Flathead High School's rich jewelry and metal program influenced Hines to monitor Flathead Valley Community College's professional goldsmithing program's progress. And when the college took jewelry design to a new level this year, Hines was all over it.

During spring semester, FVCC began offering a three-dimensional jewelry computer design and production certificate program. The state-of-the art program is a rare gem and has the potential of drawing students from all over the nation to the Flathead Valley.

"This is an extremely unique program, and there are very few certificate programs like it in the country," FVCC Director of Educational Services Colleen Unterreiner said. "We are really proud to offer this program."

Hines said he's benefiting from the program.

"I am finding the class fascinating, and I feel fortunate to be able to work with Jim Flaherty and Karen Koler while learning about this unique way to design and create wax forms to cast into jewelry," he said.

Hines feels the innovative skills he is learning now will benefit the students at Glacier High.

"I think the 3-D jewelry component will enhance our jewelry programs by utilizing technology to create pieces very difficult to create by hand," he said. "It will help students learn what is being used in the industry now."

This link between Flathead High School and Flathead Valley Community College is an example of the Career Clusters Curriculum Development Project that both institutions have been working on to provide students with the opportunity to streamline their education.

High-school students who will take the 3-D jewelry design class at Glacier High can earn either an Associate of Applied Science degree in professional goldsmithing or a bench certificate in goldsmithing at FVCC.

Contact Flaherty at 756-3897.