Prip family artworks by Frans Wildenhain and Ron Pearson

Born in New York and raised in Denmark, John Prip (b. 1922) is a fourth generation metalsmith. At the age of 15 he began an apprenticeship at his father’s silversmithing factory. At the age of 26 he immigrated back to America with his wife and son and began teaching at the School for American Craftsmen at Alfred University, New York. Later he taught at the Rochester Institute of Technology and while there co-owned Shop One, a retail outlet for high quality handmade objects.

German born potter Frans Wildenhain (1905-1980) joined the faculty at the School for American Crafts in 1950 where, along with Hobart Cowles, he helped create the legendary ceramics program. Wildenhain was trained at the Bauhaus with such giants as Josef Albers, Paul Klee, and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. In addition to more traditional forms of pottery, Wildenhain created large ceramic murals for display in public spaces, such as the wall in the lobby of RIT’s Ingle Auditorium and a ceramic mosaic mural for the R.J. Strasenburgh laboratory in Henrietta, New York.

Wildenhain's work is held by numerous galleries, including the Stedelijk Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and the Art Institute of Chicago. However, the largest collection of Wildenhain work is held by RIT.

Born in New York City, Ronald Hayes Pearson attended the University of Wisconsin from 1942 to 1943 and, after service in the U.S. Merchant Marine, continued his studies at the School for American Craftsmen at Alfred University from 1947 to 1948. In 1949 he enrolled in the Reed & Barton Silver Company's special design program. A founding member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, Pearson taught jewelry making at leading craft schools and designed flatware for major silver companies.

Pearson's long and distinguished career as a jeweler and metalsmith was honored in 1976 when he was elected a fellow of the American Craft Council and in 1987 when he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Portland School of Art in Maine for his contributions to American jewelry design.