Artist | Design | Maker

Adam Hawk is a studio artist and Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Hawk earned his MFA in metalsmithing/blacksmithing from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and BFA in sculpture and computer fine arts from Memphis College of Art. Previously, Hawk has served as an assistant professor at Memphis College of Art and worked as a blacksmith at the National Ornamental Metal Museum. His work has been exhibited at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Walter Anderson Museum, Fuller Craft Museum, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the HOW art museum in Shanghai, China, The Villa Braghieri in Italy, and the LA Joaillerie par Mazio in Paris, France. Most recently, Hawk has participated in a 2-person exhibition at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, a solo exhibition at the Appalachian Center for Crafts and was included in an exhibition at the National Metal Museum titled 40 Under 40, which “explores the next generation of influential American metal artists.”

Hawk's ongoing creative research investigates digital design and manufacturing technologies  such as CAD software, CNC milling, 3d printing and laser cutting in combination with his background in traditional craft practices. Most recently, Hawk has focused on CNC milling as a process to complement the design aesthetics, workflow and techniques used in his blacksmithing and metalsmithing practice. This work examines the relationship between these methods by contemplating the meaning of craft and how one may resolve the dichotomy that exists between contemporary technologies and processes historically hand-based.

I sketch, make things, and explore. From roaming the creeks and fields I grew up around, to traveling to foreign countries, my exposure to urban and natural aesthetics has had a major influence on my design vocabulary. In my youth I felt compelled to interact with and immerse myself into my surroundings, and in my adult years nothing changed except the improvement of instruments and the distance of exploration. My focus on technique and craftsmanship in metalsmithing-coupled with my interest to experiment and work from new challenges, is the basis of how I approach the act of making. The natural world guides me, and a simple rock becomes a vessel. The body of a ghost crab becomes an alphabet. Things outside of myself control the language I use to describe my experiences.