While jewelry wasn't Maynard Mann's initial intentions for a college major, this craft allowed him to express ownership of his own identity. During his time as junior at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), he hopped from majors like fashion to industrial design, eventually landing at jewelry.
“I made one ring and it was the best thing I have ever made," said Mann to SCAD District, "and wearing it was full circle of this reclamation of identity for myself. I had made this thing and wearing it made me feel empowered and like myself in a way I had not yet experienced,” Mann said. “I realized this is how I want to make other people feel, and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Mann has also become Vice President of the jewelry club, as well as a workshop teacher during extracurricular hours. He advocates for a creative space that is based purely on artistic exploration. “We are a shrinking major and we want to bring in people who have never touched jewelry and help people discover this thing,” Mann said. “I use some computer programs that aren’t taught in the curriculum but are starting to be used more widely in the industry, such as zbrush. Almost everyone in the program has their own niche thing that they learn extracurricularly because that’s what they are passionate about. I want to use the club as a form to share those kinds of things that they have,” said Mann.
“I want to keep getting better and explore myself and identity through jewelry,” Mann said about his desire to grow as an artist, despite accomplishing so much during his college career. “I don’t ever want to stop working with my hands. I would like to work as much as the process from
You can follow Mann's progress in his journey through jewelry on his Instagram.
Information originally sourced from SCAD District.
