SARAH CAVENDER BRINGING UNIQUE ARTISTRY TO MAIN STREET
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Sarah Cavender Metalworks is celebrating 30 years at its 500 Main Street location, and its owner says her work comes from a passion and impressions she has developed in her education and travels over the years. The sculptor and artist has made a name for herself using the craft of metal forming, creating one-of-a-kind jewelry and accessories. “I graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art studying sculpture and jewelry making, with a primary major in metal sculpture,” Cavender said. “But I spent a lot of time in the jewelry department.” Cavender said she had observed metal materials being used for crafts during her time living in the Philippines and traveling to the mountains in the area. “The Philippines was once occupied by Spain, and because of that influence, there was filigree jewelry [a form of intricate metalwork],” Cavender said. “I was exposed to a lot of different art in Asia when my father was stationed in the Philippines for two years. I remember seeing how they made filigree jewelry when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and that had a definite influence on me.” Attending college in Philadelphia, an industrial city, proved to be an ideal spot for finding interesting materials and learning to craft jewelry from them. “I discovered a cool factory where I could go and get mesh screening scraps to make jewelry,” Cavender said. “I continued to buy materials from them for many years.” continued on next page
BY BRIAN GRAVES
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