Chuck Evans passed away July 31, 2015 at the age of 75. Evans was an artist whose works, technical innovations, writings and teaching have made lasting contributions to metalsmithing and the American Arts. He was introduced to metals through his friend David Pimentel and learned design and technique while studying under Hans Christensen and Albert Paley at the School of American Craftsmen, Rochester Institute of Technology, 1969-1972.
After earning his MFA, he taught at Bowling Green State University for six years before moving to Iowa in 1978 to open the metals program for Iowa State University’s College of Design, where he was Professor of Jewelry and Metals from 1978 through 2001. His artwork spanned 30+ years and has been shown in 200+ exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. He authored the textbook Jewelry: Contemporary Design and Technique, 1983, and contributed to many books and professional publications over the course of his life.
A true purist, Chuck held individual expression above all and shunned labels with great vigor. Some of the noted artists with whom he interacted included Heikke Seppa, Philip Fike, John Marshall, Fred Fenster, Ronald Pearson, Richard Thomas, Eleanor Moty, Alma Eikerman, Dominick Labino, Wendell Castle, Peter Voulkos, Frans Wildenhain and Philip Morton.