Member Directory
Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi Members
Search our Member Directory by name or medium (Metal, Ceramics, Glass, Mixed Media, Wood, Fiber). Or, scroll down the page to browse our Members.
About Us
We are makers on a mission to preserve and promote, educate and encourage, the highest standard of excellence in regional crafts.
The work of our Members reflects a high degree of competence, professional standards, and artistry in their medium and category. Eligibility is determined by a jury review process which takes place twice each year.
Annette Aucoin
Annette Aucoin
Broussard, LA
Metal / Metal
Guild member since 1997
From 1989 to 1994, Annette was a printmaker and painter. When she discovered that she loved working the etched copper plate more than the prints, she returned to school to become a metal smith. Mother Nature’s leaves are imitated in many of her silver fabricated jewelry pieces. Annette was selected to make the 2002 ornament for the White House Christmas Tree, and her painting, “Waiting” is in the University of Louisiana Permanent Collection.
Julie Boudreaux
Julie Boudreaux
Diamondhead, MS
Metal / Jewelry
Guild member since 2014
Julie began creating jewelry over ten years ago, initially starting out with beading, but rapidly expanding her interests to include other creative techniques. Her current work includes the use of Precious Metal Clay, wire, sheet metals, and glass, often combining the different media into a single piece. Much of her education in her craft has been done through the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts and Rio Grande, where she participated in classes in wire wrapping, silver smithing, PMC, and lamp work glass. She has participated in many Arts Alive events and has had her work displayed at the Waveland City Hall gallery. She is also a promoter of her craft through her classes in fusing, wire work, and specialized beading techniques.
Rebecca "Becky" Burt
Rebecca "Becky" Burt
Hammond, LA
Metal / Jewelry
Guild member since 2010
Becky likes to think of herself as a finder of things that people do not know they need yet. She is a classically trained jewelry and mixed media artist who takes odd bits and pieces of metal, household ephemera, and the occasional bizarre cast off, and combines them to create art that sends a message. She teaches jewelry making at The New Orleans School of Art and Craft. She has displayed her work at Jazz Fest, various galleries, art markets, and art festivals in several Southern states. Becky was named by New Orleans Magazine as one of their 2013 People to Watch.
Ben Caldwell
Ben Caldwell
Nashville, TN
Metal (Cooper) / Utensils
Guild member since 2008
Ben is not only an award-winning copper artist; he also works with silver, makes guitars, and builds custom West African drums. He was named Emerging Artist of the year in 2002 by the Tennessee Artist’s Guild, and has been featured in numerous magazine and newspaper articles. His work was shown twice on the “Tennessee Crossroads” television shows, and twice on Nashville Television stations. His copper sculptures have been shown at Vanderbilt Hospital, and the Tennessee State Museum where it won “Best of Tennessee Craft” in 2001. A silver gingko leaf ladle was acquired for the museum’s permanent collection.
Susan Carruth
Susan Carruth
Covington, LA
Metal (Silver) / Jewelry
Guild member since 1988
Susan was recently commissioned to create a special piece of jewelry as a gift for Barbara Bush. Her jewelry designs are imaginative commentaries on nature and life’s experiences. She draws on her childhood experiences of growing up in New Orleans, as well as the highs and lows of being a responsible adult and parent. Susan’s work shows the variety of working with metal. Some of her jewelry designs are loosely structured with lots of moving parts, other designs are highly structured and technically very demanding to create. Susan says that the freedom to move among these different approaches brings the balance she is seeking in her creative life.
Harry Day
Harry Day
Canton, MS
Metal / Metal
Guild member since 2006
After years of painting oils and acrylic as a serious trade, Harry started making metal sculptures when he moved back to Jackson from living on the east and west coasts. He is a naturalist, who loves trees, rivers, contours, and contours of land. He drives all over Mississippi to barns and farms and dilapidated structures, to common dump sites and roadsides to find the materials for his sculptures. He looks at metal pieces lying on the ground and sees animal replicas or other items that can be put together. He enjoys making these creations. Harry has sold hundreds of paintings and many metal pieces.
DCZ Designs
DCZ Designs
Madison, MS
Jewelry / Jewelry
Guild member since 2011
Marek Dlouhy is a former professional ballet dancer who started his DCZ Designs business in wire sculpture jewelry and hand beaded jewelry in 2005. The DCZ jewelry contains components reflecting the artists’ ‘euro-Americana’ origins; using hand-blown glass, crystals, woods, stones, and various metals. In addition to jewelry making, Marek does wood wire sculpture and photography, Shelagh paints and does interior/exterior design.
Shirley De'Vard
Shirley De'Vard
Baton Rouge, LA
Glass / Jewelry: Guild member since 2007
Metal / Jewelry: Guild member since 2016
Hailing from Baton Rouge, Shirley De’Vard first began jewelry making as a hobby, but it quickly grew into a passion. Now her jewelry has taken her all around the South and Southeast and even got her invited to a Christmas festival in France. Her beaded and wire-wrapped jewelry often incorporates semiprecious stones, crystals, or pearls, all hand selected to ensure that they give off the shine and color she desires. She’ll often combine gemstones, pearls, and beads to give her work a unique and special character to each individual piece of art. Many adore her necklaces for their ability to make a statement yet still be lady-like.
Willis Bradley "Jake" Evans, Jr.
Willis Bradley "Jake" Evans, Jr.
Herbert, LA
Metal / Jewelry
Guild member since 2016
Susan Fincher
Susan Fincher
Pensacola, FL (office only)
Metal / Jewelry: Guild member since 2013
Mixed Media / Jewelry: Guild member since 2017
Susan’s work is eclectic and includes many styles. She enjoys the freedom to try new methods, materials, and styles. Susan believes that her work is different from that of others because she doesn’t have a favorite metal or a preference between traditional metalsmithing and metal clay work. In fact, she enjoys combining those materials and methods – even with a single piece of jewelry. Her primary influence is nature, and she tries to use more environmentally friendly methods and products in her work, with leaves and shell motifs making regular appearances.
Mary Caroline Garland
Mary Caroline Garland
Bay St. Louis, MS
Metal
Jewelry
Guild member since 2019
Michael Hayman
Michael Hayman
Mandeville, LA
Metal
Jewelry
Guild member since 2001
Michael’s work is inspired by the myths and legends of Celtic and Scandinavian Europe. A preservationist, he works with many of the tools, materials, and techniques available to medieval smiths, without resorting to photo-etching or computer aids. He has visited museums of Scotland and England for historical research. Much of his work is done in lost wax casting. He hammers out his work using a piece of railroad track for an anvil.