Dear [Student/Early Career Member],

My name is Jessica Todd and I’m a 12-year SNAG member, volunteer, and enthusiast. As many, I happened upon and fell in love with metalsmithing accidentally – I was in college and looking for a studio elective that didn’t start too early in the morning. I still remember sitting at my bench on the first day, long after everyone else had left, trying to make that saw blade bend to my will (without breaking). I was hooked.

A couple years later my professor told me about this thing called the SNAG conference, where you could go to a hotel full of a bunch of people who also got hooked on this metalsmithing thing and talk about it. “Uh, YEAH!” I thought. So off I went, road tripping with my best friend to Memphis, Tennessee. From spontaneous elevator conversations about solder flow to staring starry-eyed at Elizabeth Brim on stage to nothing short of the best dance party of my life, I knew this community was something special.

Years later considering grad school in other media, it was the strong sense of community I felt through SNAG that brought me back to metals, and now, as my career grows in new directions, I still come back to SNAG. Because at SNAG, I have impact on something greater than myself. As I feel more and more overwhelmed and helpless in the face of what seems like an endless litany of problems in the world, I can work with SNAG to make a difference. When I want to see change in our organization, I can volunteer or send a letter and see that change actually happen – like, WOW! This small but mighty community has ripples far beyond the pages of Metalsmith or the stage of a conference – its members go out into their own communities to influence positive change, whether through addressing important social, political, or environmental issues in their work; teaching others the benefits of making; or sharing the value of handcraft and artistic expression in our world.

So, how do you participate in that greater impact? You already are – through volunteering, participating in exhibitions, attending conferences, reading Metalsmith, telling a friend – but I encourage you to do more. First, I encourage you to share feedback with SNAG – about what’s important to you, how the organization can grow, how it can better support you – because SNAG is your organization, they listen, and, most importantly, they take action to address those needs. Second, I encourage you to consider a monthly donation of $10 or $20 a month, or even $5 if that’s all you can swing. Recurring monthly donations allow non-profits to plan ahead financially, and that’s really important because it creates space to allow for big-picture growth and ideas, to thrive instead of survive. If you want to be a part of that, head to https://www.snagmetalsmith.org/get-involved/donate/make-a-donation/

As we celebrate SNAG’s 50th birthday, I want you to remember that the next 50 years belong to you, so make it everything you can dream it to be. I’m excited to join you in that journey.

All my best,

Jessica Todd