[Jewelry making - Article 00428] - Re: [Orchid] Article: Minimal Metalsmithing

[R . E . Rourke]

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Hazel,

    Despite whatever petty office politicking is going on,and because the
    magazine you edit is about producing profit and is, after all,
    entangled with the business of Marketing,and metal clays being the
    most singularly high-profit margin generating substance available to
    create with that is being used for jewelery, as opposed to cookware
    or industrial applications such as window frames, auto parts or the
    equivalent, What you have chosen to do is to let go the MOST
    important ,informed and experienced member of your magazine's staff
    that lends credibility and viability to the term "art jewelry". 

    While it does seem painfully obvious that the magazine you work for
    is moving more towards the promotion of metal clay, polymer clay and
    other trendy repackaged/reformatted media,in pursuit of creating
    objects of adornment my opinion is that you have traded one of the
    most respected names in metal smithing for profiteering. Your choice
    to remove Nanz Aalund from her well deserved, most valued and
    depended on position within the magazine's structure is of great
    distress to me as a subscriber, as I depended on Nanz's concise
    summations, truthful assessments and thorough knowledge of metals
    and their manipulation to lend a degree of interest to the magazine
    that will now be akin to just another beads and beyond, without
    Nanz's expertise, instruction and review of skills for all levels
    from beginner to advanced metal smiths involved in the design and
    creation of jewelry. I wholeheartedly disagree with your action, and
    believe that it is a violation of an individuals right to free
    speech. To take that right to express or rather post totally
    objective information in a forum that has nothing to do with the
    operation or profitability of the magazine and penalize Nanz Aalund
    for offering her expertise freely and to assist jewelery makers
    understand the limitations of costly and well marketed metal clays as
    an unsuitable substitute for precious metals seems inappropriate at
    least, and punitive, unconscionable and largely a mistake on your
    part as a journalist. Therefore are we to now question your
    journalistic integrity over profiteering and salesi 

    Journalism is, I believe intended to be the single most protected
    realm of free thought and free expression. Nanz's post on the free
    speech forum that is Orchid served to add to the magazine's
    credibility rather than detract from it in any imaginable
    way,although I don't believe she had the magazine in mind whatsoever
    when offering her findings and research-TO Orchid, not the readership
    of Art Jewelry Magazine -into the properties of metal clays. 

    As I have never seen you post anything regularly on Orchid, I must
    presume you were made aware of this by some ill-willed source as
    opposed to simply perusing posts of interest as most frequent
    contributors and visitors to Orchid do. This reflects poorly on your
    position as editor, of a magazine supposedly in the genre of creative
    processes -specifically art, and art jewelry directly. If you fired
    Nanz Aalund for her contributions to Orchid, you are perhaps
    overstepping your authority and duty to the magazine,,by taking
    Nanz's own findings on a product,which were sought by Orchid members,
    not by Art Jewelry magazine readers and posted on Nanz's own
    time, apart from her job, and intended to, as always, lend aid to and
    clarify for our collective membership, a metallic substance of great
    debate and questionable viability as a jewelers medium. This seems a
    very ill-advised action to take on your part as a steward of free
    speech and creative expression, and crossing the line of labor law as
    it translates to an individuals rights to pursue on their own time
    anything the individual chooses to engage in. While I'm sure the
    damage you have done is irreparable I urge you to reconsider this
    action as it relates to retaining Nanz Aalund as the last bastion of
    bona fide metalsmithing and jewelry making editorial content that has
    kept me a subscriber despite the financial sacrifice it is to do so
    as a result of my personal loss of everything owned and possessed to
    hurricane Katrina. Without the engaging content Nanz brings to Art
    Jewelery Magazine, I fear it will become just another marketing tool
    with loyalties to the highest paid advertiser instead of the reason
    we are subscribing: Nanz Aalund's rich editorial content and
    extension of knowledge of the form and genre that are metalsmithing
    in an art jewelry context. More than a job is being sacrificed by
    this action Hazel.I do hope you will consider that as you examine
    the role of editor as a steward of journalistic intent, and that an
    associate of Nanz Aalund's caliber is not easily replaceable. 

    with full sincerity,
    Dr.R.E.Rourke

    By the way Hazel, consider my subscription cancelled. Censorship has
    no place in art journalism.
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